tangle

1 of 3

verb

tan·​gle ˈtaŋ-gəl 

tangled; tangling ˈtaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to unite or knit together in intricate confusion

2

: to involve so as to hamper, obstruct, or embarrass

3

: to seize and hold in or as if in a snare : entrap

intransitive verb

1

: to become entangled

2

: to interact in a contentious or conflicting way

tangle

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: a matted, twisted mass : snarl

2

a

: a complicated or confused state or condition

b

: a state of perplexity or complete bewilderment

3

: a serious altercation : dispute

4

: neurofibrillary tangle

tangle

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a large seaweed

Synonyms of tangle

Verb

• trap

Noun (2)

• confusion
• fog

Examples of tangle in a Sentence

Verb

This fishing line tangles easily.

was at last tangled in the web of lies that he had told to everyone

Noun (2)

my mind's been in a tangle ever since I learned some disturbing information about an online acquaintance

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Vikings rookie cornerback Da'Veawn Armstead had a punch thrown at him by the Ravens' Keyon Martin after the two got tangled up in one-on-one drills. — Ren Clayton, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

The two candidates tangled over the future of single-family neighborhoods and Senate Bill 79, which requires that cities approve taller and denser development near certain public transit stops. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Noun

The Bell Jar Tracing the tangle of a new job in New York City and the simultaneous onrush of clinical depression, The Bell Jar brings the interior world of central character Esther Greenwood into stunning relief. — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026

Penske has designed tracks through city blocks, but never through both federal and municipal grounds with a tangle of buildings that include the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the National Archives. — Adam Kilgore, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English tanglen, tagilen, probably short for entanglen, from Anglo-French entagler, entangler to prosecute (for), implicate

Noun (2)

of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse thǫngull tangle, thang seaweed

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (1)

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1540, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tangle

• neurofibrillary tangle
• tangle with

Rhymes for tangle

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

Kids Definition

tangle

1 of 2 verb

tan·​gle ˈtaŋ-gəl 

tangled; tangling -g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to make or become involved so as to complicate or confuse : be or become entangled

2

: to twist or become twisted together into a mass hard to straighten out again

tangle

2 of 2 noun

1

: a tangled twisted mass (as of vines or hairs) confusedly woven together : snarl

2

: a complicated or confused state or condition

Medical Definition

tangle

noun

tan·​gle ˈtaŋ-gəl 

: neurofibrillary tangle