untangle

[ uhn-tang-guh l ]

/ ʌnˈtæŋ gəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR untangle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), un·tan·gled, un·tan·gling.

to bring out of a tangled state; disentangle; unsnarl.

to straighten out or clear up (anything confused or perplexing).

Nearby words

Origin of untangle

First recorded in 1540–50; un-² + tangle¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for untangle

How will they find legal advice to help them untangle the legal nightmare of applying for and qualifying for asylum?
LGBT Asylum Seekers Need America More Than Ever|Gene Robinson|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A few doors down, Jeff Nier was trying to figure out how to untangle the three-car pile-up in his driveway.
Nightmare on Coney Island After Sandy Knocks Historic Area to its Knees|Paula Szuchman|November 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Observers, meanwhile, will continue to untangle Magnotta's reality, breaking down the legend he spent years building up online.
Alleged Killer Magnotta Was Caught Thanks to His Own Carelessness|Tracy McNicoll|June 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It will take an outsider to untangle the pernicious insiders' club that Berlusconi created in the Italian government.
Can Berlusconi's Legacy Be Undone?|Rula Jebreal|November 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Come Thursday, the Moon causes misunderstandings that you find impossible to untangle.
Horoscopes: The Week of April 3|Starsky + Cox|April 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And trying to untangle the skein, I was a good deal startled to feel a touch on my arm as I reached the sidewalk.
Blindfolded|Earle Ashley Walcott
Before they could untangle we comes up, snakes Homer off the top of the heap, and skiddoos for all we had left in us.
Shorty McCabe|Sewell Ford
Why don't you untangle yoreself an' go where you belong, you carrot-headed blunderer!
Hopalong Cassidy|Clarence E. Mulford
The rest is mystery—a mystery which I am forced to ask you to untangle.
The Chief Legatee|Anna Katharine Green
The stout man looked as if he were trying to untangle a mental knot.
The Gray Phantom|Herman Landon

British Dictionary definitions for untangle

untangle

/ (ʌnˈtæŋɡəl) /

verb (tr)

to free from a tangled condition

to free from perplexity or confusion

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 untangle