disentangle

verb dis·en·tan·gle \ ˌdis-in-ˈtaŋ-gəl \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of disentangle

transitive verb

: to free from entanglement : unravel

intransitive verb

: to become disentangled

—

disentanglement

play \-mənt\ noun

See disentangle defined for English-language learners

See disentangle defined for kids

Examples of disentangle in a Sentence

it took forever to disentangle the knot
the years that it took to disentangle ourselves from our troubles after someone started using our social security numbers

Recent Examples of disentangle from the Web

The whole episode raises a deeper question, and one with significance not just in the UK, but around the Western world: whether rising anti-Semitism can be entirely disentangled from anti-Zionist politics common on the left.

— zack beauchamp, Vox, "The UK Labour Party’s anti-Semitism crisis, explained," 29 Mar. 2018
The lawsuit said Trump has failed to disentangle himself from his hotels and other businesses, making him vulnerable to inducements by officials seeking to curry favor.

— andrew chung, Anchorage Daily News, "Federal judge refuses to toss suit against Trump on foreign payments," 29 Mar. 2018
Still, the show refused to disentangle the Conners’ loving bark from the working world’s bite.

— angela allan, The Atlantic, "How Roseanne Handled the Culture Wars of Its Time," 27 Mar. 2018
The debate over how the U.K. should disentangle its laws from EU laws will involve contentious issues, such as whether governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will have enough say over negotiating goals.

— jenny gross, WSJ, "U.K.’s Labour Advocates Prolonging Some Europe Ties," 27 Aug. 2017
But another honorable function is to disentangle it from rapacious marketplace hyperventilation, so that it can be clearly seen.

— christopher knight, latimes.com, "MOCA still mum about curator's firing, despite crucial questions and too few answers," 20 Mar. 2018
The struggle to disentangle anti-Semitism from fraught discussions over the Middle East is not unique to Labour, points out David Feldman, a historian of anti-Semitism at Birkbeck, University of London.

— The Economist, "Labour’s problem with anti-Semitism," 15 Mar. 2018
Though these separate parts of his life are all manifest in the exhibition, they are not disentangled from one another.

— stephan salisbury, Philly.com, "Leonard Bernstein show at the Jewish museum: 'West Side' story and 'Radical Chic' too," 13 Mar. 2018
Until lawmakers can disentangle property taxes from public education, inequalities—perpetuated by the Supreme Court and Congress—will persist.

— clint smith, The Atlantic, "The New Tax Law’s Subtle Subversion of Public Schools," 7 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disentangle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of disentangle

1598

disentangle Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of disentangle

extricate, disentangle, untangle, disencumber, disembarrass mean to free from what binds or holds back. extricate implies the use of care or ingenuity in freeing from a difficult position or situation.