embroil
Americanverb (used with object)
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embroils,
present (3rd person singular)
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embroiled,
past participle, past
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embroiling
present participle
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to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife.
-
to throw into confusion; complicate.
verb
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to involve (a person, oneself, etc) in trouble, conflict, or argument
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to throw (affairs) into a state of confusion or disorder; complicate; entangle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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embroilsimple
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embroilssimple
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have embroiledperfect
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has embroiledperfect
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am embroilingprogressive
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are embroilingprogressive
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is embroilingprogressive
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have been embroilingperfect progressive
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has been embroilingperfect progressive
Past
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embroiledsimple
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had embroiledperfect
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was embroilingprogressive
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were embroilingprogressive
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had been embroilingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embroil
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French embrouiller, equivalent to em- em- 1 + brouiller “to quarrel”; see broil 2
Explanation
To embroil is to drag someone into a mess. If you're embroiled, you're in deep. Being embroiled is far worse, far messier, and generally far more long-term, than simply being "involved" with something. Nothing good can come of being embroiled. Embroil can refer to any sort of situation — romantic entanglements, political events, scandals — but it's probably most commonly used in reference to lawsuits. The classic lawsuit that embroiled its participants was the fictional case of Jarndyce. v. Jarndyce, in Dickens's novel Bleak House — which went on for so many generations that all the characters' money was eaten up entirely by lawyers' fees. Let us repeat: nothing good comes of getting embroiled.
Vocabulary lists containing embroil
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 12, List 2
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Fast Food Nation
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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:
Those investments, experts say, help prevent regional conflict and war that may embroil the U.S.
From Salon ● May 29, 2025
Desperate not to embroil a small, vulnerable immigrant community in an intense national controversy, they tried to avoid the issue.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2025
The revelation of an attempt to interfere over the penalty decision is the latest in a series of controversies to embroil Ben Sulayem since being elected in December 2021.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2024
The tail-docking blowup is just the latest controversy to embroil the company.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2023
And now you have made your appearance, and almost persuaded me to embroil myself yet more with the priesthood, as if they did not abhor me enough p. 167already.
From The Bible in Spain Vol. 1 [of 2] by George Henry Borrow
Milking the quirks of small-town life and the strange workings of faith and superstition, “The Unknown Saint” embroils a cast of droll, deadpan characters in amusing high jinks.
From New York Times ● Jul. 30, 2021
"Because it embroils us in a legal discussion," Mueller said.
From Fox News ● Jul. 24, 2019
Her death remains a mystery that still embroils some of the most storied figures in this city’s imaginary golden age of intrigue and glamour.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2017
The case that has gotten the greatest attention embroils Benedict himself.
From Time ● Mar. 19, 2010
I believe it would rather be like the decision in that outer darkness of which Milton speaks where “‘chaos umpire sits, And by decision more embroils the fray.’”
From Historical Essays by James Ford Rhodes
It had been nearing a close when it, too, became embroiled in controversy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Later, they became involved with a label that was embroiled in a lawsuit, which proved to be yet another dead-end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The two chains have been embroiled in a long running legal battle over the right to use brand terms including "Mac".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The U.S. and Iran are currently embroiled in peace talks as both countries try to find enough common ground to permanently end the war.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
It was a pattern that would repeat itself in cities throughout the United States, as black communities found themselves embroiled in deep conflict over goals and strategies pursued by the black elite.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The 1MDB scandal made headlines across the world when it came to light a decade ago, embroiling prominent figures from Malaysia to Goldman Sachs and Hollywood.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025
But her ability to manage her finances is not your responsibility, and we risk embroiling you further in her emotional blackmail and psychological pinball machine by discussing her money troubles.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025
He cannot walk on the beach without embroiling himself in national controversy.
From Slate ● May 17, 2025
The case was one of many legal fights currently embroiling Mr. Musk and X. The company is suing a law firm that represented it before Mr. Musk’s ownership, claiming that it collected unreasonably high fees.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
At the very height of his power he made the fatal mistake of embroiling himself with Brazil.
From The South American Republics Part I of II by Thomas C. Dawson
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.
