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

The new season stars Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny as a young couple who gets entangled with their boss (Oscar Isaac) and his wife (Carey Mulligan) after witnessing a nasty fight between the two. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026

That will give commercial crabbers using traditional vertical lines — the ones that can entangle migrating whales — a little less than two weeks to wrap up their seasons in San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. —Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026

The conflict between Israel and Lebanon is separate from the Iran war — but the two are deeply entangled. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026

Few charges against activists entangled in the operation have survived the legal system. —Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 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