unravel

play

verb un·rav·el \ˌən-ˈra-vəl\

Definition of unravel

transitive verb
1a : to disengage or separate the threads of : disentangleb : 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

The scheme unraveled in April with the collapse of the Fyre Festival, which was advertised as a luxury getaway for moneyed millennials, who paid up to five figures for VIP packages.

— david glovin, Bloomberg.com, "Fyre Festival Founder McFarland Arrested on Fraud Charge", 1 July 2017
WASHINGTON — Senator Dean Heller’s biting denunciation of the Republican health care bill last week infuriated the White House and helped unravel his party’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act days before a vote was expected in the Senate.

— jonathan martin and kenneth p. vogel, New York Times, "Trump Backers ‘Furious’ That Senator Stood Against Health Care Bill", 30 June 2017
Velasquez was also killed during the incident, but investigators are still unraveling the circumstances surrounding his death, said Sgt.

— lyndsay winkley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Arrest made in fatal National City shooting", 25 June 2017
But more research is needed to unravel the many mysteries of these peculiar sea pickles.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Hordes of Gelatinous “Sea Pickles” Are Invading the West Coast", 24 June 2017
After a couple of close pitches to Jon Jay with two strikes and two outs in the fifth were called balls by home plate umpire Paul Emmel, things unraveled quickly.

— andre c. fernandez, miamiherald, "Things turn sour quickly for Marlins in lopsided loss to Cubs", 6 June 2017
What these three girls have to do with each other is a mystery to be unraveled.

— nick schager, Esquire, "The Best Movies of 2017 (So Far)", 5 June 2017
Its pride in its college-preparation efforts unraveled.

— katherine long, The Seattle Times, "Just 20% of kids got 4-year degrees, so Chehalis schools changed everything", 1 June 2017
But Ms. Merkel’s remarks underscored profound divisions between Europe and the United States that have one clear beneficiary, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who has longed for the alliance, Moscow’s Cold War adversary, to unravel.

— associated press, Washington Post, "Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from recent editorials", 31 May 2017

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

UNRAVEL Defined for English Language Learners

unravel

play

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