Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for tangle on Thesaurus.com verb (used with object), tan·gled, tan·gling. to bring together into a mass of confusedly interlaced or intertwisted threads, strands, or other like parts; snarl. to involve in something that hampers, obstructs, or overgrows: The bushes were tangled with vines. to catch and hold in or as if in a net or snare. Show More
verb (used without object), tan·gled, tan·gling. to be or become tangled. Informal to come into conflict; fight or argue: I don't want to tangle with him over the new ruling. Show More
a tangled condition or situation. a tangled or confused mass or assemblage of something. a confused jumble: a tangle of contradictory statements. Informal a conflict; disagreement: He got into a tangle with the governor. Show More
Origin of tangle 1 1300–50; Middle English tangilen, tagilen to entangle < Scandinavian; compare Swedish (dial.) taggla to disarrange
Related forms tan·gle·ment , noun tan·gler , noun tan·gly , adverb any of several large seaweeds of the genus Laminaria. Show More
Origin of tangle 2 1530–40; < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse thǫngull strand of tangle, Norwegian tang
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for tangle mess ,
labyrinth ,
snarl ,
coil ,
skein ,
morass ,
entangle ,
perplex ,
embroil ,
confuse ,
enmesh ,
trap ,
jam ,
complication ,
web ,
muddle ,
snag ,
twist ,
mesh ,
mass Examples from the Web for tangle Contemporary Examples of tangle The tangle of enormous fake diamonds resting on top of her cleavage sparkles at every flashbulb.
Pettet threw his head back and laughed as he recounted his tangle with the police.
Its solution—a tangle of suspicion that spreads from a police unit to local drug ring—is clever and well constructed.
The tangle of groups, funders, and leaders in the black anti-immigration effort—as in the broader movement—can be hard to follow.
The bloodshed began at the end of the bridge amid a tangle of flyovers near the Egyptian Museum.
Historical Examples of tangle "It wasn't just a tangle , like combings," she went on slowly.
He looked backward from the heights above the tangle after they had come through it.
It is a nest of greenery in the midst of a tangle of brushwood.
What on earth could I do when affairs were in such a tangle ?
There was a tangle of undergrowth, and a heavy grove of palms.
British Dictionary definitions for tangle a confused or complicated mass of hairs, lines, fibres, etc, knotted or coiled together a complicated problem, condition, or situation Show More
to become or cause to become twisted together in a confused mass (intr often foll by with ) to come into conflict; contend to tangle with the police (tr) to involve in matters which hinder or confuse to tangle someone in a shady deal (tr) to ensnare or trap, as in a net Show More
Derived Forms tanglement , noun tangler , noun tangly , adjective Word Origin for tangle C14 tangilen, variant of tagilen, probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish dialect taggla to entangle
alternative names (esp Scot) for oarweed Show More
Word Origin for tangle C16: of Scandinavian origin: compare Danish tang seaweed
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for tangle v. mid-14c., nasalized variant of tagilen "to involve in a difficult situation, entangle," from a Scandinavian source (cf. dialectal Swedish taggla "to disorder," Old Norse þongull "seaweed"). In reference to material things, from c.1500. Meaning "to fight with" is American English, first recorded 1928. Related: Tangled ; tangling . Tanglefoot (1859) was Western American English slang for "strong whiskey."
Show More
n. 1610s, "a tangled condition," from tangle (v.).
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
