entangle

verb

en·​tan·​gle in-ˈtaŋ-gəl 

en-

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

entangler

in-ˈtaŋ-g(ə-)lər 

en-

noun

Synonyms of entangle

• knot
• tangle
• intertwine

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

If the primary diver becomes trapped, entangled, or experiences an emergency underwater, the backup diver's only job is to rescue the rescuer. — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

At the extreme, such acceleration in imaging can only become entangled with inertia. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026

Multiple countries are entangled in Sudan’s conflict, and other foreigners, including Russians and Ukrainians, have taken part in hostilities. — Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026

Months of attacks have also depleted the Pentagon’s stockpile of key munitions, and the widening conflict has entangled more countries in the Middle East, which could push the human and economic cost of the war even higher. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French entangler — more at tangle entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for entangle

• angle
• bangle
• dangle
• jangle
• mangle
• strangle
• tangle
• wrangle
• disentangle
• quadrangle
• triangle
• untangle

Kids Definition

entangle

verb

en·​tan·​gle in-ˈtaŋ-gəl 

1

: to make tangled or confused

2

: to involve in a tangle or a confusing or difficult situation

entanglement

-mənt

noun