entangle

verb

en·tan·gle | \ in-ˈtaŋ-gəl

, en-\

entangled; entangling; entangles

Definition of entangle

transitive verb

1a : to wrap or twist together : interweave

b : ensnare

2a : to involve in a perplexing or troublesome situation became entangled in a lawsuit

b : to make complicated the story is entangled with legends

Other Words from entangle Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about entangle

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Examples of entangle in a Sentence

in the process of taking down the Christmas tree, we managed to entangle the string of lights into a hopeless mess of wires the young runaway gradually became entangled in a web of lies

Recent Examples on the Web

The two gradually became entangled in Ksenia’s label. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Meet the Married Couple From Kiev Behind All That Viral Denim," 13 Mar. 2019 Bourdain used his tremendous platform to explain to his audience how their own lives were entangled with those of other people. — Kanishk Tharoor, The Atlantic, "Anthony Bourdain’s Extreme Empathy," 10 June 2018 His insatiable appetites keep him entangled with numerous women throughout the tale, including his father’s mistress, who looks like Genji’s dead mother. — Emily Ferguson, WSJ, "The Legacy of a Japanese Classic," 22 Feb. 2019 Tumbling accidentally into the mix comes a young Mennonite girl, 11 years old, ethereally blond, strange, and strong, whose fate is now entangled with the brothers’, her purity a foil to Troy’s amorality. — Eve Macsweeney, Vogue, "In Randy Kennedy’s Presidio, a Startling Road Trip Thriller Full of Twists and Turns," 17 Aug. 2018 While there’s no official word on which character Affleck will play, the most obvious choice from Didion’s novel may be the role of Treat Morrison, a high-level government official who becomes romantically entangled with Hathaway’s character. — BostonGlobe.com, "Ben Affleck joins Anne Hathaway and Willem Dafoe in Netflix political thriller," 10 July 2018 In last year's competition, teams armed their drones with entangling devices and dart guns or reinforced them for ramming. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "What Are Airports Going to Do About Drones?," 9 Jan. 2019 Leonard also raised concerns that marine and wildlife could be entangled by the net that will hang below the surface. — Fox News, "Massive boom hopes to corral Pacific Ocean's plastic trash," 8 Sep. 2018 One summer day a year or two ago, one of the kids entangled the wire by a wood rack in a weedwacker, severing it in a flash. — C.j. Chivers, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Thing To Do When Your Dog Won't Stay," 24 Dec. 2018

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