mangle

1 of 3

verb (1)

man·​gle ˈmaŋ-gəl 

mangled; mangling ˈmaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to injure with deep disfiguring wounds by cutting, tearing, or crushing

people … mangled by sharks

—V. G. Heiser

2

: to spoil, injure, or make incoherent especially through ineptitude

a story mangled beyond recognition

mangle

2 of 3

noun

: a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers

mangle

3 of 3

verb (2)

mangled; mangling ˈmaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to press or smooth (something, such as damp linen) with a mangle

Did you know?

Besides the "mutilate" verb mangle, English has the noun mangle ("a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers") and its related verb ("to press or smooth with a mangle"). There's no etymological relationship, however, between that pair and the mangle that means "to mutilate or bungle." The ironing-related homographs come from Dutch and ultimately from a Latin word that also gave English mangonel, the name for a military engine used to hurl missiles. The injury-related mangle comes from Anglo-French and may be a relation of the words maim and mayhem via Anglo-French mahaigner, "to maim."

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• blow
• bobble
• boggle
• bollix (up)
• boot
• botch
• bugger (up)
• bumble
• bungle
• butcher
• dub
• flub
• fluff
• foozle
• foul up
• fumble
• goof (up)
• louse up
• mess (up)
• muck up
• muff
• murder
• screw up

Choose the Right Synonym for mangle

maim, mutilate, mangle mean to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage.

maim implies the loss or injury of a body part.

maimed by a shark

mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

Examples of mangle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The powerful blast reduced the church to rubble, mangling cars in the parking lot and stopping clocks. —Deneen L. Brown, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Sep. 2023

Some have been mangled in the washing machine or burned in the dryer. —Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023

The eerie stillness of the place was punctuated by the rattle of heavy machinery and the cries of gulls down by the water, where an immense metal containment tank has been mangled like a dog’s chew toy. —Tim Hornyak, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2023

Photos of the wreck show the PT Cruiser mangled almost beyond recognition, with its front end completely crumped. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023

In Valdosta, Georgia, Idalia’s fierce winds uprooted trees and sent rain flying sideways, toppling a large tree onto a house and mangling awning. —Terry Spencer, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Aug. 2023

In Valdosta, Idalia’s fierce winds uprooted trees and sent rain flying sideways, toppling a large tree onto a house and mangling awning. —Terry Spencer, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2023

Collisions mangled the frames of four chairs, and Wade called timeout. —Matt Higgins Jalen Wright, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2023

Witnesses shared photos of the vehicle wreckages mangled beyond recognition. —Evelyne Musambi, USA TODAY, 1 July 2023

Noun

Without the closed captioning, viewers may not have been able to understand the rapid-fire word mangles spilling from Mr. Biden’s mouth. —Kenneth L. Khachigian, wsj.com, 7 May 2023

So - has your mother sold her mangle? —Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2010

This is a really powerful moment in the film, and our feelings about it are helpful in untangling our own mangle of thoughts about identity and death. —Malcolm MacIver, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2010

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Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French mangler, mahangler, perhaps from mahaigner to maim — more at mayhem

Noun

Dutch mangel, from German, from Middle High German, diminutive of mange mangonel, mangle, from Latin manganum

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1696, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1775, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

mangle

1 of 3 verb

man·​gle ˈmaŋ-gəl 

mangled; mangling -g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to cut, bruise, or hack with repeated blows or strokes

2

: to spoil or injure in making or performing : botch

mangle a speech

mangler

-g(ə-)lər 

noun

mangle

2 of 3 noun

: a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers

mangle

3 of 3 verb

mangled; mangling -g(ə-)liŋ 

: to press or smooth with a mangle

mangler

-g(ə-)lər 

noun