enmesh

verb

en·​mesh in-ˈmesh 

en-

variants or less commonly immesh

i(m)-ˈmesh 

enmeshed also immeshed; enmeshing also immeshing; enmeshes also immeshes

transitive verb

: to catch or entangle in or as if in meshes

deeply enmeshed in the plot

enmeshment

i(m)-ˈmesh-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• catch up
• ensnare
• ensnarl
• entangle
• entoil
• entrap
• mesh
• net
• snare
• tangle
• trap

Examples of enmesh in a Sentence

soon after Eli Whitney had invented it, others copied his cotton gin, and he spent the rest of his life enmeshed in lawsuits trying to protect his invention

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, governments that took up the mantle of climate leadership during Trump's first term, such as Germany, France and Canada, are enmeshed in political instability. —Andrew Freedman, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024

President Biden is enmeshed in a pardon scandal of his own making. —Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 6 Dec. 2024

The modern ideological stakes of translation—as a fraught operation transposing the utterances of a person enmeshed in a unique cultural fabric—begin here. —Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024

The agency withdrew its tacit support in 2022 and is currently enmeshed in litigation with the project, which is a collaboration between the Victoria University of Wellington and the political tech and data provider Aristotle. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

enmesh

verb

en·​mesh in-ˈmesh 

: to entangle in or as if in meshes

was enmeshed in a series of disputes