unravel

verb un·rav·el \ ˌən-ˈra-vəl \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: unravel in a Sentence

Definition of unravel

unraveled; unraveling; unravels

transitive verb

1 a : to disengage or separate the threads of : disentangle

b : to cause to come apart by or as if by separating the threads of

2 : to resolve the intricacy, complexity, or obscurity of : clear up

unravel a mystery

intransitive verb

: to become unraveled

See unravel defined for English-language learners

See unravel defined for kids

Examples of unravel in a Sentence

Scientists are still unraveling the secrets of DNA.
Their plans unraveled when she lost her job.
His frequent absences from home caused his marriage to unravel.
I feel like my life is unraveling.

Recent Examples of unravel from the Web

This, of course, coming as many on the left have literally started to completely and utterly unravel and be unhinged, unwilling to believe their own lying eyes.

— Fox News, "Andy McCarthy, Joe diGenova preview Peter Strzok's testimony," 27 June 2018
And that’s when Stura’s story allegedly began to unravel.

— jeff truesdell, PEOPLE.com, "Woman Accused of Killing Her Boyfriend — Then Faking Her Own Kidnapping as Cover-Up," 25 June 2018
While the à la minute pampering of the tuna poke endeavors to leave proteins untouched, Liholiho’s prolonged thermal slog aims to unravel them completely.

— ali bouzari, SFChronicle.com, "Housemade: The magic of Liholiho Yacht Club," 22 June 2018
The video shows Kimmel who bravely picked up the alligator and unraveled it from the snake's tight grip.

— caitlin o'kane, CBS News, "Video shows man saving alligator as python nearly squeezes it to death," 19 June 2018
Rodriguez is spellbinding as Marisa, mixing humor and emotion as her internal psyche and external circumstances begin to unravel.

— marissa oberlander, Chicago Reader, "In The Displaced, the ghosts of gentrification won't leave a young couple alone," 14 June 2018
Bass is admittedly running, unraveling and procrastinating in this attempt to process or cure his pain and perhaps redefine his identity.

— ashley day, USA TODAY, "Famous writers get together over dinner in Rick Bass' tasty 'Traveling Feast'," 12 June 2018
When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter's family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.

— bill goodykoontz, azcentral, "'Hereditary:' 127 minutes of pure horror," 7 June 2018
Polls showed Alioto consistently lagging behind Breed, Leno and Kim, but her campaign began to unravel in recent weeks.

— dominic fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle, "Breed takes lead over Leno, Kim in earliest returns for SF mayor’s race," 5 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unravel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unravel

1603

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

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unravel Synonyms

UNRAVEL Defined for English Language Learners

unravel

verb

Definition of unravel for English Language Learners

: to cause the separate threads of something to come apart
: to find the correct explanation for (something that is difficult to understand)
: to fail or begin to fail