tangle

¹

[tang-guhl]

verb (used with object)

tangled, tangling 

1. to bring together into a mass of confusedly interlaced or intertwisted threads, strands, or other like parts; snarl.

2. to involve in something that hampers, obstructs, or overgrows.

   The bushes were tangled with vines.

3. to catch and hold in or as if in a net or snare.

verb (used without object)

tangled, tangling 

1. to be or become tangled.

2. Informal.,  to come into conflict; fight or argue.

   I don't want to tangle with him over the new ruling.

noun

1. a tangled condition or situation.

2. a tangled or confused mass or assemblage of something.

3. a confused jumble.

   a tangle of contradictory statements.

   Synonyms: fight, dispute, argument, altercation, maze, labyrinth, snarl

4. Informal.,  a conflict; disagreement.

   He got into a tangle with the governor.

tangle

²

[tang-guhl]

noun

1. any of several large seaweeds of the genus Laminaria.

tangle

¹

/ ˈtæŋɡəl /

noun

1. a confused or complicated mass of hairs, lines, fibres, etc, knotted or coiled together

2. a complicated problem, condition, or situation

verb

1. to become or cause to become twisted together in a confused mass

2. to come into conflict; contend

   to tangle with the police

3. (tr) to involve in matters which hinder or confuse

   to tangle someone in a shady deal

4. (tr) to ensnare or trap, as in a net

tangle

²

/ ˈtæŋɡəl /

noun

1. alternative names (esp Scot) for oarweed

Other Word Forms

• tangler noun
• tanglement noun
• tangly adverb

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tangle¹

C14 tangilen, variant of tagilen, probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish dialect taggla to entangle

Origin of tangle²

C16: of Scandinavian origin: compare Danish tang seaweed

Example Sentences

“Brown food tastes good” steadied my hand when I wanted to rescue onions-in-progress too soon, when the butter-slicked tangle was still pale and squeaky instead of sweet and golden.

From Salon

His photograph shows the yellow-and-white train, a tangle of metal, on the corner of the narrow alley under a Subway restaurant sign, with the other train at the bottom of the hill below it.

From BBC

Power and the Palace, published next week and written by the former royal correspondent for The Times, explores the tangled relationship between the royals and the world of politics.

From BBC

But four years later, the yard and parkway are a thick tangle of grasses, green shrubs and vibrant flowers, as Kolding makes clear in an endearing short documentary film about their new landscape.

From Los Angeles Times

Together, the pair now face a tangled web of legal battles, including ownership disputes, eviction proceedings, and allegations of business mismanagement.

From Salon

Related Words

• confuse 
• embroil 
• enmesh 
• entangle 
• perplex 
• snarl 
• tie up 
• trap