tangle

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈtaŋ.ɡəl/, X-SAMPA: /"taN.g@l/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋɡəl

Etymology 1

Origin uncertain; apparently a variant form of tagle.

Verb

tangle (third-person singular simple present tangles, present participle tangling, simple past and past participle tangled)

1. (intransitive) to become mixed together or intertwined

   Her hair was tangled from a day in the wind.

2. (intransitive) to be forced into some kind of situation
3. (intransitive) to enter into an argument, conflict, dispute, or fight

   Don't tangle with someone three times your size.

   He tangled with the law.

4. (transitive) to mix together or intertwine
5. (transitive) to catch and hold
   • Milton

     Tangled in amorous nets.

   • Crashaw

     When my simple weakness strays, / Tangled in forbidden ways.

Synonyms

• (to become mixed together or intertwined): dishevel, tousle
• (to be forced into some kind of situation): drag, drag in, embroil, sweep, sweep up
• (to enter into an argument, conflict, dispute, or fight): argue, conflict, dispute, fight
• (to mix together or intertwine): entangle, knot, mat, snarl
• (to catch and hold): entrap

Antonyms

• (to mix together or intertwine): untangle, unsnarl

Translations

to become mixed together or intertwined

• Finnish: sotkeutua, sotkuuntua
• French: emmêler (fr)
• Khmer: ប្រទាក់ (km) (prɑteak), ចំពាក់ (km) (cɑmpeak)
• Malay: kusut (ms)
• Mirandese: ambaraçar
• Portuguese: enrolar-se (pt), embaraçar (pt), emaranhar (pt)

• Russian: запутываться (ru) (zapútyvatʹsja)
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Slovene: please add this translation if you can
• Somali: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: enmarañar (es)
• Swedish: bli tilltrasslad (sv), trassla (sv) sig

to be forced into some kind of situation

• Finnish: sotkeutua (fi)
• German: sich verstricken (de)

• Portuguese: ser empurrado (pt)
• Swedish: bli insnärjd (sv)

to enter into an argument, conflict, dispute, or fight

• Finnish: riidellä (fi), tapella (fi)

• Swedish: gräla (sv), bråka (sv), tampas (sv)

to mix together or intertwine

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: sotkea (fi)
• French: compliquer (fr)
• German: verwirren (de)
• Greek: πλέκω (el) (pléko)
• Ido: please add this translation if you can

• Italian: intrecciare (it)
• Khmer: ធ្វើឲ្យប្រទាក់ចំពាក់គ្នា (km) (tvəə aoy prɑteak cɑmpeak knie)
• Mirandese: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: emaranhar (pt), misturar (pt)
• Swedish: trassla (sv) till, göra trasslig (sv)

to catch and hold

• Dutch: verstrikken (nl)
• Portuguese: capturar (pt), pegar (pt)

• Swedish: snärja (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: verwarren, in de war brengen, compliceren

Noun

tangle (plural tangles)

1. a tangled twisted mass
2. a complicated or confused state or condition

   I tried to sort through this tangle and got nowhere.

3. an argument, conflict, dispute, or fight
4. (mathematics) A region of the projection of a knot such that the knot crosses its perimeter exactly four times.

Synonyms

• (tangled twisted mass): knot, mess, snarl
• (complicated or confused state or condition): maze, snarl
• (argument, conflict, dispute, or fight): argument, conflict, dispute, fight

Translations

tangled twisted mass

• Dutch: wirwar m
• Finnish: sotku (fi), vyyhti (fi)
• German: Wirrwarr (de) m and n
• Polish: plątanina (pl) f
• Russian: путаница (ru) (pútanica) f, неразбериха (ru) (nerazberíxa) f, беспорядок (ru) (besporjádok) m

• Spanish: maraña (es) f
• Swedish: bråte (sv) c, härva (sv) c, röra (sv) c, oreda (sv) c, trassel (sv) n, virrvarr (sv) n

complicated or confused state or condition

• Finnish: sotku (fi)
• Polish: zamęt (pl) m

• Russian: (спу́танный) клубок (ru) (klubók) m
• Swedish: härva (sv) c, röra (sv) c, trassel (sv) n, virrvarr (sv) n

argument, conflict, dispute, or fight

• Finnish: riita (fi), tappelu (fi)
• Polish: konflikt (pl) m

• Russian: ссора (ru) (ssóra) f, конфликт (ru) (konflíkt) m
• Swedish: bråk (sv) n, gräl (sv) n, konflikt (sv) c

Etymology 2

Of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian tongul, Faroese tongul, Icelandic þöngull.

Noun

tangle (plural tangles)

1. Any large type of seaweed, especially a species of Laminaria.
   • 1849, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam, 10:

     Than if with thee the roaring wells / Should gulf him fathom-deep in brine; / And hands so often clasped in mine, / Should toss with tangle and with shells.

External links

• tangle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• tangle in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• tangle at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

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