Synonyms

entangle

American

[en-tang-guhl] / ɛnˈtæŋ gəl /

verb (used with object)

entangled, entangling

to make tangled; ensnarl; intertwine.
to involve in or as in a tangle; ensnare; enmesh.

to be entangled by intrigue.
to involve in difficulties.
to confuse or perplex.

Synonyms:

bewilder

entangle British

/ ɪnˈtæŋɡəl /

verb

to catch or involve in or as if in a tangle; ensnare or enmesh
to make tangled or twisted; snarl
to make complicated; confuse
to involve in difficulties; entrap

"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

Related Words

See involve.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of entangle

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

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.

A 12-year-old girl with a love of punk rock becomes entangled in the case of a local killing.

From The Wall Street Journal

Into it, he compressed 11 entangled, elongated figures, who seem to float in space.

From The Wall Street Journal

The whale had been entangled in a fishing net, most of which rescuers managed to remove.

From Barron's

At another dance, he gets his spurs entangled in his partner’s skirts and topples to the floor.

From The Wall Street Journal

Estimated at being 12 to 15 metres long and 15 tons in weight, it's thought the whale could have previously become entangled in a fishing net.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023