raveled or ravelled; raveling or ravelling
ˈrav-liŋ,
ˈra-və-
1
: to become unwoven, untwisted, or unwound : fray
3
obsolete
: to become entangled or confused
1
a
: to separate or undo the texture of : unravel
b
: to undo the intricacies of : disentangle
Examples of ravel in a Sentence
Verb
since the sweater is too small, you could ravel the yarn out and make something else with it
Recent Examples on the Web
Ellen Akins, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2020
Her eight novels, including the 2016 bestseller Commonwealth, tend to focus on families or groups raveling and unraveling over decades.
—Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Sep. 2019
Now, with many New Yorkers complaining that life in New York is raveling under Mr. Bloomberg’s progressive successor, Bill de Blasio, a top Bloomberg lieutenant is telling his version of how the city was revitalized.
—Edward Kosner, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2017
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Verb
So somehow, Grace, Sacha and Robert end up accompanying Art and Charlotte to Norfolk, and all of their stories unravel and ravel at once.
—Ellen Akins, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2020
Her eight novels, including the 2016 bestseller Commonwealth, tend to focus on families or groups raveling and unraveling over decades.
—Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Sep. 2019
Now, with many New Yorkers complaining that life in New York is raveling under Mr. Bloomberg’s progressive successor, Bill de Blasio, a top Bloomberg lieutenant is telling his version of how the city was revitalized.
—Edward Kosner, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Ravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ravel. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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