entangle

verb en·tan·gle \ in-ˈtaŋ-gəl , en- \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: entangle in a Sentence

Definition of entangle

entangled; entangling; entangles

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

Mike Tyson squares off against Steven Seagal in this actioner about an Asian telecom rep entangled in civil strife in North Africa, With Dong-xue Li, Janicke Askevold, Eriq Ebouaney.

— kevin crust, latimes.com, "L.A. movie openings, June 13-15," 10 June 2018
If you, young Ben Simmons, must get entangled in this Kardashian web, keep it to the summer.

— elizabeth wellington, Philly.com, "Let's pray that Ben Simmons and Kendall Jenner don't make it through the summer | Elizabeth Wellington," 1 June 2018
By requiring the name, they could get entangled in more.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Poor? Need legal aid? Tiny part of landlord law could make lawyers wary of helping out," 25 May 2018
In a sense, once the ceremony was over, the bride (a word which, by the way, is etymologically entangled with the verb cook) was officially no longer her father’s problem.

— elizabeth kiefer, Glamour, "Dads Walking Daughters Down the Aisle Is Tradition—But, Like Meghan Markle, It's One I Won't Observe," 17 May 2018
This debris can entangle and kill sea life, including turtles, whales, sharks, dolphins, seals, fish, and seabirds.

— National Geographic, "Plastics Explained, From A to Z," 16 May 2018
And sanctions against him entangle some of the world’s biggest businesses and financial groups.

— yuliya fedorinova, Bloomberg.com, "U.S. Sanctions Turn Putin Tycoons Into International Pariahs," 6 Apr. 2018
And in an election year, lawmakers usually veer away from entangling themselves in controversy.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Daily fantasy sports resurfaces in Alabama: Model legislation, or political firecracker?," 27 Feb. 2018
Holder argued that entangling state and local agencies with federal immigration enforcement usurps limited resources, blurs lines of accountability and distorts trust between officers and the community.

— liam dillon, latimes.com, "Trump endorses in California’s race for governor," 18 May 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.