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

Mendonca has also been embroiled in a public spat with fellow justice Alexandre de Moraes. — Mauricio Savarese, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026

By the middle of the second set, they were embroiled in a tentative push-pull of nerves, neither player able to step in and seize initiative on a point unless they were first forced to do so. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

The decision comes after both sides were embroiled in a fight that saw SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey make an appearance in a Louisiana district court to testify on behalf of his conference. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Since then, the conflict has taken on an ethnic as well as an international dimension, embroiling Sudan’s neighbors but also the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Iran. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 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