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

Perhaps the gravity and the fragility of the situation has hit home for a team that’s been embroiled in explosive trade rumors as the deadline draws near. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026

While investigators interviewed hundreds of people connected to Plasse without finding her killer, the Chicopee Police Department became embroiled in scandal. —Mason Leath, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2026

Advertisement Vázquez later lost the New Progressive Party’s 2020 gubernatorial nomination to Pedro Pierluisi, himself a figure long dogged by corruption allegations, before becoming embroiled in her own scandal. —Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 30 Jan. 2026

But the deal began to stall as CK Hutchison Holding became embroiled in a scandal following Panama Comptroller General Anel Flores’s audit. —Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 30 Jan. 2026

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