tangle
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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tangles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tangled,
past participle, past
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tangling
present participle
-
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.
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to catch and hold in or as if in a net or snare.
verb (used without object)
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tangles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tangled,
past participle, past
-
tangling
present participle
-
to be or become tangled.
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Informal. to come into conflict; fight or argue.
I don't want to tangle with him over the new ruling.
noun
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a tangled condition or situation.
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a tangled or confused mass or assemblage of something.
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a confused jumble.
a tangle of contradictory statements.
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Informal. a conflict; disagreement.
He got into a tangle with the governor.
noun
noun
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a confused or complicated mass of hairs, lines, fibres, etc, knotted or coiled together
-
a complicated problem, condition, or situation
verb
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to become or cause to become twisted together in a confused mass
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to come into conflict; contend
to tangle with the police
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(tr) to involve in matters which hinder or confuse
to tangle someone in a shady deal
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(tr) to ensnare or trap, as in a net
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tanglesimple
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tanglessimple
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have tangledperfect
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has tangledperfect
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am tanglingprogressive
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are tanglingprogressive
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is tanglingprogressive
-
have been tanglingperfect progressive
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has been tanglingperfect progressive
Past
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tangledsimple
-
had tangledperfect
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was tanglingprogressive
-
were tanglingprogressive
-
had been tanglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tangle1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tangilen, tagilen “to entangle,” probably from a Scandinavian language; compare Swedish (dialect) taggla “to disarrange”
Origin of tangle2
First recorded in 1530–40; from a Scandinavian language; compare Old Norse thǫngull “strand of tangle,” Norwegian tang
Explanation
A tangle is a jumble. You might have a tangle of cords behind your computer or a tangle of complications related to your taxes. Whatever it is, once something is in a tangle, it's difficult to sort out. The word tangle likely originated from a Scandinavian source — taggla, in a Swedish dialect, means “disarrange.” Tangle also can be used as a verb: you may tangle your hair as a fashion statement, but then it hurts to comb it out. As a noun, tangle can refer to an argument or a fight between two people: if you're really feisty, people might be warned away from getting into a tangle with you.
Vocabulary lists containing tangle
"Of Mice and Men"
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Excerpt from "Flipped"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"It's very important that the hundred rowers coordinate because the oars are quite long and they will tangle with each other," Trammell Hudson stressed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Learning from troops in Ukraine, Israeli forces have begun covering their positions with netting to entrap and tangle the tiny drones.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Some of these effects are frieze-like; others suggest a play of stark silhouettes or a calculated tangle of angular limbs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Maybe it’s a drizzle of special vinegar, a pat of cultured butter softening into gloss or a tangle of pickled vegetables with just enough bite.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
They ended up sprawled on the bakehouse floor, a tragic tangle of limbs.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Unnecessary tangles with defenders are so often a hallmark of Delap's do-or-die approach, even when playing his best football.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
But consent decrees are legally and politically complicated, and the treatment of migrant children further tangles the situation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
These abnormal clumps, known as tau tangles, are associated with cognitive decline, disrupted brain function, and the death of neurons.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Drugmakers are also developing medications that target tau tangles in the brain so patients may have more options in the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
In that rosebush, concealed and protected by dense tangles of fiercely sharp thorns, was the entrance to a rat hole.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
This fork in the road looms but so, let’s admit, does the possibility of society becoming tangled up in legally paralyzing questions of machine sentience, pushed by certain avid humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
A tangled web of masterfully timed sound effects has unintentionally become the heartbeat of “Stamptown” .
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
One excellent vegetable can be cooked down with butter and tangled through pasta.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
No matter the sport, professional athletes always lead tangled tax lives.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
I say the word out loud then, and this time it doesn’t get tangled in my throat.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Elected in 2022, the 65-year-old Colombian president is no stranger to tangling with adversaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
Crockett would know: He’s been tangling with the industry in some form or fashion since one insider saw him as a would-be pop star more than a decade ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2025
There’s a school of thought that, in tangling with adversaries, it’s sometimes wise to seem unpredictable—to tip them off balance.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2025
City earlier lost midfielder Rodri to injury 21 minutes into the game when he appeared to twist his knee while tangling with Arsenal's Thomas Partey.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2024
It is larger, but still rustic and natural, overgrown with landscape, banks of wild white roses tangling across the porch roof.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
