detangle

verb

de·​tan·​gle (ˌ)dē-ˈtaŋ-gəl 

detangled; detangling; detangles

transitive verb

: to remove tangles from

Always detangle wet hair gently with a wide-toothed comb.

—Elle

Detangle and lay out all your light strings. Check for frayed wires and broken bulbs and repair or replace as needed.

—Samantha Mazzotta

detangler noun

plural detanglers

Cream rinses are not designed to adhere to the hair for any length of time but are just there to assist with the combing out (detanglers, in effect).

—Allison Leopold

Examples of detangle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bowl diffuser features aluminum plates that heat up to expedite dry time, and the comb attachment helps detangle without flattening out ringlets. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025

Hold cross-team meetings to detangle root causes, opportunities and risks. —Matthew Ross, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Slowly detangle wet hair with a wide-tooth comb, which can minimize breakage. —Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025

Apply a base layer of detangling spray to the area, and use a wide-tooth comb or detangling brush to gently work at the mat, starting at the outer edges (closest to your ends, not your roots) and using small strokes. —Grace McCarty, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for detangle

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