entangle

verb

en·​tan·​gle in-ˈtaŋ-gəl 

en-

entangled; entangling; entangles

transitive verb

1

a

: to wrap or twist together : interweave

b

: ensnare

2

a

: to involve in a perplexing or troublesome situation

became entangled in a lawsuit

b

: to make complicated

the story is entangled with legends

entangler

in-ˈtaŋ-g(ə-)lər 

en-

noun

Synonyms

• interlace
• intertwine
• intertwist
• interweave
• knot
• snarl
• tangle

Examples of entangle in a Sentence

in the process of taking down the Christmas tree, we managed to entangle the string of lights into a hopeless mess of wires

the young runaway gradually became entangled in a web of lies

Recent Examples on the Web

He gets entangled in his tow-truck chain, dragged down the street, and the friction then sets him on fire. —Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 16 May 2025

But her time in public service became entangled with a private business. —Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 13 May 2025

The Fed has long stressed its institutional independence despite having gone through some episodes in its history of getting more directly entangled with presidential politics. —Tobias Burns, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025

So maybe each one is partially entangled with another, right, so they’re not maximally entangled one-to-one. —Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French entangler — more at tangle entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for entangle

• angle
• bangle
• dangle
• jangle
• mangle
• strangle
• tangle
• wrangle
• disentangle
• quadrangle
• triangle
• untangle

Kids Definition

entangle

verb

en·​tan·​gle in-ˈtaŋ-gəl 

1

: to make tangled or confused

2

: to involve in a tangle or a confusing or difficult situation

entanglement

-mənt

noun