embroil

verb

em·​broil im-ˈbrȯi(-ə)l 

embroiled; embroiling; embroils

transitive verb

1

: to throw into disorder or confusion

2

: to involve in conflict or difficulties

embroiled in controversy

embroilment

im-ˈbrȯi(-ə)l-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of embroil

• tangle
• trap
• broil
• bog (down)
• enmesh

Examples of embroil in a Sentence

His stand on this issue has embroiled him in controversy.

The new drug has been embroiled in controversy.

They were embroiled in a complicated lawsuit.

Recent Examples on the Web

The White House, embroiled in a heated debate over the president’s plan to invite hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers into the United States, is being pressured by voters to focus more on domestic issues and less on foreign policy. —Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 12 Nov. 2025

Four Wisconsin nursing homes that were cited hundreds of times for health care violations have been taken over by new managers, even as the former operator remains embroiled in a legal dispute over financial records. —Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 12 Nov. 2025

He has also been embroiled in controversies involving antisemitism in the past. —Dennis Romero, NBC news, 12 Nov. 2025

Many of them remain embroiled in legal limbo. —NPR, 10 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French embrouiller, from Middle French, from en- + brouiller to jumble, from Old French brooilier, from Vulgar Latin *brodiculare — more at broil

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for embroil

• airfoil
• benzoyl
• despoil
• etoile
• gargoyle
• recoil
• subsoil
• tinfoil
• topsoil
• trefoil
• turmoil
• aerofoil

Kids Definition

embroil

verb

em·​broil im-ˈbrȯi(ə)l 

1

: to throw into disorder or confusion

2

: to involve in conflict or difficulties

embroiled in a lawsuit

embroilment

-mənt 

noun