entangle

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English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English entanglen (“to involve [someone] in difficulty”, “to embarrass”). Equivalent to en- +‎ tangle.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

entangle (third-person singular simple present entangles, present participle entangling, simple past and past participle entangled)

  1. (transitive) To tangle up; to twist or interweave in such a manner as not to be easily separated.
    The dolphins became entangled in a fishing net.
  2. (transitive) To involve in such complications as to render extrication difficult.
  3. (transitive, figuratively) To ensnare.
    Synonyms: perplex, bewilder, puzzle
    • 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “Madeleine”, in Poems. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, stanza 3, page 19:
      But when I turn away, / Thou, willing me to stay, / Wooest not, nor vainly wranglest; / But, looking fixedly the while, / All my bounding heart entanglest, / In a golden-netted smile; […]
  4. (transitive) To involve in difficulties or embarrassments; to embarrass, puzzle, or distract by adverse or perplexing circumstances, interests, demands, etc.; to hamper; to bewilder.

Antonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “entangle” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 “entangle” (US) / “entangle” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 “entangle”, in Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
  4. ^ “entangle”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  5. ^ “entangle”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 “entangle”, in Collins English Dictionary.

Anagrams[edit]

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