1
as in tangling
to twist together into a usually confused mass
in the process of taking down the Christmas tree, we managed to entangle the string of lights into a hopeless mess of wires
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trapping
to catch or hold as if in a net
the young runaway gradually became entangled in a web of lies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in complicating
to make complex or difficult
the history of Alexander the Great is entangled by variant accounts of his exploits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of entangling
The rest — bottles, cups, ties, get washed into our oceans, entangling sea birds and when they get pulverized into microplastics, they’re eaten by sea turtles who often die.
—
Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 18 May 2026
Impulsive action bypasses deliberation, ignores consequences and risks entangling our nation in conflicts without an exit strategy.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
The causes were entangling secret alliances, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the ensuing diplomatic brinksmanship.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Last year’s dead leaves and branches, still not cleared away, lay on the ground, entangling our feet.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Yet the same fisheries that drive economic value also generate high levels of bycatch, entangling marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and sharks in their operations.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office is set to begin training deputies on the Grappler system, a pursuit intervention device that disables a suspect's vehicle by entangling its tires rather than forcing a crash.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Brasília has pursued a strategy of diversifying partnerships to preserve its autonomy—maintaining cordial ties with all great powers while entangling with none.
—Oliver Stuenkel, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
But the power can still be politically entangling.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 18 May 2026
Impulsive action bypasses deliberation, ignores consequences and risks entangling our nation in conflicts without an exit strategy.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
The causes were entangling secret alliances, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the ensuing diplomatic brinksmanship.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Last year’s dead leaves and branches, still not cleared away, lay on the ground, entangling our feet.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Yet the same fisheries that drive economic value also generate high levels of bycatch, entangling marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and sharks in their operations.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office is set to begin training deputies on the Grappler system, a pursuit intervention device that disables a suspect's vehicle by entangling its tires rather than forcing a crash.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Brasília has pursued a strategy of diversifying partnerships to preserve its autonomy—maintaining cordial ties with all great powers while entangling with none.
—Oliver Stuenkel, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
But the power can still be politically entangling.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for entangling
Verb
-
Recently, researchers in Germany developed a chain-launching drone interceptor that disables UAVs by tangling their spinning rotors midair.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 May 2026
-
Wrap cords using cable ties to prevent tangling and fraying.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The star ingredients of Skintimate’s Fragrance Free 2-in-1 Shave Oil + Moisturizer are ideal for creating just that, pairing vitamin E—which is both a water-attracting humectant and water-trapping emollient—along with shea, almond, and jojoba oils.—
Eden Stuart,
Allure,
29 May 2026
-
People rely on the Amazon for water and the hotter, drier conditions should increase wildfire risk, Seabrook said, threatening to turn the Amazon, which now sucks heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, into a region that worsens the problem.—
Seth Borenstein,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The attacks are complicating US peace talks with Iran, with Tehran insisting that any ceasefire with Washington must include Israel’s operations in Lebanon.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
2 June 2026
-
Health officials say the outbreak likely circulated undetected for weeks before it was identified, complicating efforts to trace contacts and isolate infected individuals.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Rybakina staged a comeback midway through the third set, knotting the score at 4-4 from 3-0 down.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Surprisingly the most expensive hairpiece so far has been Attenborough’s, which Fortune reveals was a hybrid of a cheap £20 ($26) wig at the back combined with tens of man-hours knotting individual strands of hair onto a lace front to create the centenarian’s familiar pate.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
And in that quest for unbridled growth, the AI industry has wrested ungodly amounts of capital from investors all looking for the next big thing, ensnaring the entire economy.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The upcoming April 7 vote over the renewal of Kansas City’s 1% earnings tax will mark one of the biggest tests of whether that opposition could risk ensnaring a critical resource for the city.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The scents come in glass bottles with a retro appeal and details winking to the house’s couture tradition, such as the metal logo intertwining with a safety pin and a vintage-looking pear pump sprayer adorned with the fabrics of the ateliers.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
-
But mostly, the intertwining threads just sit there, never coming together in any satisfying way or holding up as their own story within the story, despite how hard the writers work at showing that reality can inspire fiction but fiction can also bounce back to influence reality.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Entangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/entangling. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
