mangle

1 of 3

verb (1)

man·​gle ˈmaŋ-gəl 

mangled; mangling ˈmaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to injure with deep disfiguring wounds by cutting, tearing, or crushing

people … mangled by sharks

—V. G. Heiser

2

: to spoil, injure, or make incoherent especially through ineptitude

a story mangled beyond recognition

mangle

2 of 3

noun

: a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers

mangle

3 of 3

verb (2)

mangled; mangling ˈmaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to press or smooth (something, such as damp linen) with a mangle

Did you know?

If you’re an aficionado of ironing appliances, you may be steamed that we did not highlight the noun mangle (“a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers”) or its related verb (“to press or smooth with a mangle”) for today’s Word of the Day. You may even believe we mangled it! We concede, even if we fail to entirely smooth things over, that mangle is a perfectly fine word, coming as it does from the Dutch word mangel (not to be confused with the beet), but it is less commonly encountered than the mangle that means “to ruin or injure”; that mangle is unrelated, coming instead from Anglo-French. Its path in English has followed a trajectory similar to that of butcher, moving swiftly from applying to a violent action to a figurative use meaning “to bungle.”

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• blow
• bobble
• boggle
• bollix (up)
• boot
• botch
• bugger (up)
• bumble
• bungle
• butcher
• dub
• flub
• fluff
• foozle
• foul up
• fumble
• goof (up)
• louse up
• mess (up)
• muck up
• muff
• murder
• screw up

Choose the Right Synonym for mangle

maim, mutilate, mangle mean to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage.

maim implies the loss or injury of a body part.

maimed by a shark

mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

Examples of mangle in a Sentence

Verb (1)

you've mangled this so badly that we'll have to do it over

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Led by vocalist Christina Michelle’s hair-raising screams, Deep Sage mangles everything in its path with thick basslines and switchblade guitars until the floor is bloodied but the air, at long last, is cleansed. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2024

The other car, on Cesar Chavez, was mangled at the curb. —David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024

Noun

One bombshell lawsuit that will, at bare minimum, mangle Diddy’s career, came from a young man who was welcomed into his inner circle and, according to that producer, exited the mogul’s milieu after he was allegedly groomed, abused and exploited. —Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024

The film pops and crackles as the cars mangle and the drivers embrace and fight. —Alec Sutherland, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French mangler, mahangler, perhaps from mahaigner to maim — more at mayhem

Noun

Dutch mangel, from German, from Middle High German, diminutive of mange mangonel, mangle, from Latin manganum

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1696, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1775, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

mangle

1 of 3 verb

man·​gle ˈmaŋ-gəl 

mangled; mangling -g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to cut, bruise, or hack with repeated blows or strokes

2

: to spoil or injure in making or performing : botch

mangle a speech

mangler

-g(ə-)lər 

noun

mangle

2 of 3 noun

: a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers

mangle

3 of 3 verb

mangled; mangling -g(ə-)liŋ 

: to press or smooth with a mangle

mangler

-g(ə-)lər 

noun