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?

If you’re an aficionado of ironing appliances, you may be steamed that we did not highlight the noun mangle (“a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers”) or its related verb (“to press or smooth with a mangle”) for today’s Word of the Day. You may even believe we mangled it! We concede, even if we fail to entirely smooth things over, that mangle is a perfectly fine word, coming as it does from the Dutch word mangel (not to be confused with the beet), but it is less commonly encountered than the mangle that means “to ruin or injure”; that mangle is unrelated, coming instead from Anglo-French. Its path in English has followed a trajectory similar to that of butcher, moving swiftly from applying to a violent action to a figurative use meaning “to bungle.”

Synonyms of mangle

Verb (1)

• fumble
• blow
• dub
• ruin
• botch
• butcher
• bungle
• destroy
• boot
• spoil

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

Verb (1)

you've mangled this so badly that we'll have to do it over

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Trees along the property were mangled. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026

The hood of the SUV was mangled, and the glass front door of the mini-mart was wrecked. — Lou Kleinberg, CBS News, 17 June 2026

Noun

The film pops and crackles as the cars mangle and the drivers embrace and fight. — Alec Sutherland, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024

Andrea, who knows better than most how badly the communications world mangles words, is on the subject both principled and faintly amused. — Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for mangle

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

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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