unravel

verb

un·rav·el | \ ˌən-ˈra-vəl

unraveled; unraveling; unravels

Definition of unravel

transitive verb

1a : 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

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about unravel

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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 on the Web

His outing unraveled four batters earlier when Cesar Hernandez botched a double-play turn at second base that would have ended the inning. — Matt Breen, Philly.com, "Phillies shut out by Yankees as defense fails Jake Arrieta again," 26 June 2018 The scene unraveled while Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown) gave a speech at Kate's wedding. — Madison Medeiros, refinery29.com, "Who Were Randall & Tess Talking About On The This Is Us Finale — We Have Some Theories," 14 Mar. 2018 That unraveled into a 45-21 Penn State lead at the half, the Lions' final three points coming in a sequence that perfectly summed up the first 20 minutes. — Bill Landis, cleveland.com, "Ohio State basketball gets beat by Penn State again, this time a 79-56 rout," 16 Feb. 2018 On the verge of a big upset, the third period unraveled for the UAA hockey team on Friday night. — Stephan Wiebe, Anchorage Daily News, "UAA stumbles in 3rd period in loss to No. 7 Minnesota State," 6 Jan. 2018 What’s more, if arms-control treaties continue to unravel, the U.S. could act to boost its nuclear stockpile, adding to the DoE’s environmental woes. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Cost to Clean Up America’s Cold War Nuclear Waste Jumps to $377 Billion," 5 Feb. 2019 Props to him for speaking out—and continuing to unravel the stigma. — Jennifer Lance, Glamour, "Kate Middleton's Brother James Wrote a Powerful Essay About Mental Health," 12 Jan. 2019 Raiu has been working to unravel the latest findings on one of the most mysterious cyber espionage operation in history: the Moonlight Maze, an initiative that targeted the Pentagon and NASA in the late 1990s. — Andrada Fiscutean, Ars Technica, "The adventures of lab ED011—“Nobody would be able to duplicate what happened there”," 27 Aug. 2018 While chronobiologists continue to unravel the complete mysteries of time–cellular interactions, the oldest advice remains the best: Get more sleep and spend more time outdoors. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "Why You Should Have Heart Surgery in the Afternoon," 26 Dec. 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.