entangle

[en-tang-guhl]

verb (used with object)

entangled, entangling 

1. to make tangled; ensnarl; intertwine.

2. to involve in or as in a tangle; ensnare; enmesh.

   to be entangled by intrigue.

3. to involve in difficulties.

4. to confuse or perplex.

   Synonyms: bewilder

entangle

/ ɪnˈtæŋɡəl /

verb

1. to catch or involve in or as if in a tangle; ensnare or enmesh

2. to make tangled or twisted; snarl

3. to make complicated; confuse

4. to involve in difficulties; entrap

Other Word Forms

• entangler noun
• entangleable adjective
• entangledly adverb
• entangledness noun
• entanglingly adverb
• interentangle verb (used with object)
• unentangleable adjective
• unentangled adjective
• unentangling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of entangle¹

First recorded in 1530–40; en- ¹ + tangle ¹

Synonym Study

See involve.

Example Sentences

On Wednesday, a Reform spokesman added: "Cosying up to the EU and leaving us entangled in reams of retained EU law which Kemi Badenoch failed to scrap will not resuscitate Britain's struggling economy."

From BBC

A business built on symbolism and ideology can quickly become entangled in the very structures it celebrates, blurring the line between public support, legal accountability, and personal vulnerability.

From Salon

When the country is in chaos and entangled in man-made catastrophes abroad, it’s easier to rail, risk-free, against a manufactured crisis.

From Los Angeles Times

“Unguided chatbot responses, for example, cannot be neatly constrained. Attempts to do so will either be insufficient or entangle developers in a morass of third-rail social issues.”

From Salon

She said they could also become entangled in discarded fishing gear or plastic packaging that has entered the ocean from sewage systems.

From BBC

Related Words

• complicate 
• confuse 
• embarrass 
• embroil 
• enmesh 
• ensnare 
• entrap 
• implicate 
• intertwine 
• interweave 
• perplex 
• snare 
• snarl 
• tangle 
• unsettle