tangled; tangling
ˈtaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to unite or knit together in intricate confusion
2
: to involve so as to hamper, obstruct, or embarrass
3
: to seize and hold in or as if in a snare : entrap
: a large seaweed
Synonyms
Verb
Noun (2)
Examples of tangle in a Sentence
Verb
This fishing line tangles easily.
was at last tangled in the web of lies that he had told to everyone
Recent Examples on the Web
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 17 Apr. 2024
Before a Spurs baseline out-of-bounds play, the two got tangled up and Wembanyama fell.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
One of the confection’s most special touches is a string of pearls tangled around the magazine’s logo.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Courtesy of Samuel Velasco/Quanta Magazine The third factor is the probability of a lifeless planet producing the observed signal—an equally serious challenge, researchers now realize, that’s tangled up in the problem of unconceived abiotic alternatives.
—Elise Cutts, WIRED, 7 Apr. 2024
The coworkers were unable to get Medina out of the tank due to him being tangled in the suction tube.
—Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2024
Of the whales examined, about 40% were because whales were struck by ships or got tangled in ropes or nets in the water.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Scientists say she got tangled up in fishing gear from Maine.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Monk was trying to contest a driving layup attempt by Luka Doncic when their legs got tangled up.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 30 Mar. 2024
Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Normal people have been forced to attend to this stuff — baroque tangles of licensing and distribution rights — just to be consumers.
—T.m. Brown, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
At the hospital he was diagnosed with a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a tangle of blood vessels that connects arteries and veins in the brain, according to Mayo Clinic.
—Wendy Grossman Kantor, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Two bodies have been recovered and four are believed trapped underwater in the tangle of steel and concrete.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
They are trapped in the tangle of steel and concrete underwater, authorities believe.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
An aristocrat by Sorolla with proud, obsidian eyes in somber lace—leaning towards a tangle of scarlet roses.
—Sophie Yun Mancini, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024
In the United States, colonial homesteaders often created hedges with Osage orange, a hardy native tree with a tangle of branches and spiky thorns.
—Kate Morgan, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Because the cuticle is no longer lying flat, your hair looks dull, tangles more easily, and becomes trickier to style.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
Instead of a tidy family tree with straight lines added for each new generation, the birth of a new species is much more tangled in reality.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 17 Apr. 2024
Before a Spurs baseline out-of-bounds play, the two got tangled up and Wembanyama fell.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
One of the confection’s most special touches is a string of pearls tangled around the magazine’s logo.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Courtesy of Samuel Velasco/Quanta Magazine The third factor is the probability of a lifeless planet producing the observed signal—an equally serious challenge, researchers now realize, that’s tangled up in the problem of unconceived abiotic alternatives.
—Elise Cutts, WIRED, 7 Apr. 2024
The coworkers were unable to get Medina out of the tank due to him being tangled in the suction tube.
—Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2024
Of the whales examined, about 40% were because whales were struck by ships or got tangled in ropes or nets in the water.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Scientists say she got tangled up in fishing gear from Maine.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Monk was trying to contest a driving layup attempt by Luka Doncic when their legs got tangled up.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 30 Mar. 2024
Noun
In Saenz’s old bedroom, Fernandez lay in a tangle of sheets on a bare mattress, wearing only an unbuttoned pair of blue shorts.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Normal people have been forced to attend to this stuff — baroque tangles of licensing and distribution rights — just to be consumers.
—T.m. Brown, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
At the hospital he was diagnosed with a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a tangle of blood vessels that connects arteries and veins in the brain, according to Mayo Clinic.
—Wendy Grossman Kantor, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Two bodies have been recovered and four are believed trapped underwater in the tangle of steel and concrete.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
They are trapped in the tangle of steel and concrete underwater, authorities believe.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
An aristocrat by Sorolla with proud, obsidian eyes in somber lace—leaning towards a tangle of scarlet roses.
—Sophie Yun Mancini, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024
In the United States, colonial homesteaders often created hedges with Osage orange, a hardy native tree with a tangle of branches and spiky thorns.
—Kate Morgan, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Because the cuticle is no longer lying flat, your hair looks dull, tangles more easily, and becomes trickier to style.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tangle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tangle
Cite this Entry
“Tangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tangle. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tangle
2 of 2 noun1
: a tangled twisted mass (as of vines or hairs) confusedly woven together : snarl
2
: a complicated or confused state or condition
Medical Definition
tangle
noun
tan·gle
ˈtaŋ-gəl
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