untangle
verb
un·tan·gle
ˌən-ˈtaŋ-gəl 
untangled; untangling; untangles
: to loose from tangles or entanglement : straighten out
untangle a knot
untangle a mystery
Examples of untangle in a Sentence
She carefully untangled the child's hair.
He untangled the garden hose.
Recent Examples on the Web
But doing so would require loosening the zoning restrictions that choke new housing construction, and untangling the web of air rights, environmental reviews, noise ordinances, and traffic studies which keeps poor families penned in place.
—
Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Even before the credits start to unspool, Star Wars fashion, director Richard Lester lets fly with a series of slapstick sight gags that pile disaster on disaster until only Superman himself can untangle the mess.
—Arthur Knight, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025
Shapiro dexterously untangles the Gordian knot of their entwined passions, shared ambitions and business bottom lines.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
Search and rescue teams are using heavy equipment to untangle and peel away layers of trees, unearth large rocks in riverbanks and move massive piles of debris that stretch for miles in the search for the missing people.
—arkansasonline.com, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for untangle
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Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Even before the credits start to unspool, Star Wars fashion, director Richard Lester lets fly with a series of slapstick sight gags that pile disaster on disaster until only Superman himself can untangle the mess.
—Arthur Knight, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025
Shapiro dexterously untangles the Gordian knot of their entwined passions, shared ambitions and business bottom lines.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
Search and rescue teams are using heavy equipment to untangle and peel away layers of trees, unearth large rocks in riverbanks and move massive piles of debris that stretch for miles in the search for the missing people.
—arkansasonline.com, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for untangle
Cite this Entry
“Untangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untangle. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
untangle
verb
un·tan·gle
ˌən-ˈtaŋ-gəl
ˈən-
1
: to remove a tangle from : disentangle
untangle a knot
2
: to straighten out : resolve
untangle a mystery
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