entangle

verb en·tan·gle \ in-ˈtaŋ-gəl , en- \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of entangle

transitive verb

1 a : to wrap or twist together : interweave

b : ensnare

2 a : to involve in a perplexing or troublesome situation

became entangled in a lawsuit

b : to make complicated

the story is entangled with legends

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entangler

play \in-ˈtaŋ-g(ə-)lər, en-\ noun

See entangle defined for English-language learners

See entangle defined for kids

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 of entangle from the Web

The project is an example of how US and Chinese efforts to progress in AI are entangled, despite recent rhetoric about superpower technology rivalry.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "Ex-Google Executive Opens a School for AI, With China's Help," 5 Apr. 2018
Another genre that has been entangled in jazz over the last 25 years or so has been hip-hop, which currently through the likes of Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar is bringing young people back into listening to jazz.

— ron hart, Billboard, "Wynton Marsalis Reflects on 30 Years of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra," 29 Mar. 2018
Whaling isn't a threat to them now, however, the top causes of death for the whales include getting entangled in fishing lines and being hit by ships.

— doug criss, CNN, "North Atlantic right whales may be on edge of extinction. There's been zero births this year," 27 Mar. 2018
Was Hope Hicks entangled in a love triangle during her stint at the White House?

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "How Hope Hicks' First Boyfriend on Trump Team Reportedly Sabotaged Her Romance with the Second One," 19 Mar. 2018
Lack of candor is a fireable offense, but like so much at the FBI, McCabe's fate is also entangled in presidential politics and the special counsel investigation.

— author: matt apuzzo, adam goldman, katie benner, Anchorage Daily News, "McCabe, a symbol of Trump's FBI ire, faces possible firing," 14 Mar. 2018
The canneries were supplied by commercial fishers, who used gill nets to entangle the turtles, setting the nets in and around passes and channels the turtles used to travel in the bays and move between bays and the ocean.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Texas' green sea turtles exhibit remarkable resiliency," 13 Jan. 2018
A year after the mass shooting at the Cameo nightclub, its owner is in bankruptcy proceedings and remains entangled in a web of lawsuits.

— kevin grasha, Cincinnati.com, "1 year after Cameo mass shooting, bankruptcy, many lawsuits, a pending trial," 22 Mar. 2018
Police say preliminary information indicates the injury occurred when the firearm became entangled inside the trigger guard, causing it to discharge.

— aaron randle, kansascity, "Police training in Lawrence results in officer shooting | The Kansas City Star," 19 Mar. 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.