tangle

1 of 3

verb

tan·​gle ˈtaŋ-gəl 

tangled; tangling ˈtaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1

: to become entangled

2

: to interact in a contentious or conflicting way

tangle

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: a matted, twisted mass : snarl

2

a

: a complicated or confused state or condition

b

: a state of perplexity or complete bewilderment

3

: a serious altercation : dispute

4

: neurofibrillary tangle

tangle

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a large seaweed

Synonyms

Verb

• trap

Noun (2)

• confusion
• fog

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

Noun (2)

my mind's been in a tangle ever since I learned some disturbing information about an online acquaintance

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Storage dividers will help keep your items separate and prevent them from tangling or rubbing together. —Jamie Fischer, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2025

They get tangled up in trees and power lines; one image from the front shows a street crisscrossed by what looks like a giant spiderweb. —Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025

Noun

Grace and Company Silky Satin Pillowcase Upgrade your nighttime routine with this ultra-smooth satin pillowcase designed to help prevent overnight frizz, tangles, and breakage. —Toni Sutton, People.com, 10 July 2025

By the 20th century, Rome was like any other city, with trains and cars that let people live farther from the urban center and a tangle of highways and suburbs and shopping centers that sprawled far beyond the original fortified walls. —Krista Langlois, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English tanglen, tagilen, probably short for entanglen, from Anglo-French entagler, entangler to prosecute (for), implicate

Noun (2)

of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse thǫngull tangle, thang seaweed

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (1)

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1536, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tangle

• neurofibrillary tangle
• tangle with

Rhymes for tangle

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

Kids Definition

tangle

1 of 2 verb

tan·​gle ˈtaŋ-gəl 

tangled; tangling -g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to make or become involved so as to complicate or confuse : be or become entangled

2

: to twist or become twisted together into a mass hard to straighten out again

tangle

2 of 2 noun

1

: 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 

: neurofibrillary tangle