to entangle

Examples

• All

• As the tree branches grew, they became entangled with the electric wires above, creating a dangerous situation.

• When he first arrived, he had seen the mule entangled in the wagon and reins.

  Fiction book (1996)

• So when we do that, what happens is that we don't entangle ourselves with this reality.

• And when you open that box and you, you know, entangle it with your reality and see has it decayed or has it not?

• The sense of wonder is entangled with a feeling of horror.

  Academic text (1997)

• There were a dozen men and then more who had fallen and become entangled halfway down the ramp.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Roots, though, have a tendency to become entangled when pursued diligently enough.

  Academic text (1997)

• Goat butts against a hedge and its horns become entangled.

  Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

• But the jungle overtakes him: thick, slimy vines entangle his body, making him fall in the mud.

  Fiction book (1996)

• I've been assisting Humpback Whale Research for the past four years, and particularly on the east coast of Australia, humpback whales are becoming entangled in shark nets.

  Envoy: Shark Cull (2021)

Synonyms

T

to tangle

vsto entangle

46 3.7

To twist things together so they are hard to pull apart

means the same but also suggests a confusing or messy result

I

to intertwine

vsto entangle

46 5.4

Twist things together so they become joined or tangled

stresses becoming confused and difficult to separate rather than just linked

E

to entwine

vsto entangle

21 5.4

To twist things together, often like plants or rope

focuses more on making a confusing, hard to separate mass

E

to enmesh

vsto entangle

9 7.8

To catch something in a net or a difficult situation

stresses twisting into a confusing mass rather than capture alone

I

to interlace

vsto entangle

6 5.1

To cross things like fingers or strings so they hold together

is about making a tangled, hard to separate mass rather than a neat weave

S

to snarl

vsto entangle

6 7.1

To make something more confused or tangled

is the same idea but with stronger sense of being twisted together

M

to mesh

vsto entangle

3 4.8

To catch something in a net or web

focuses more on twisted, confusing mixing rather than a web capture

K

to knot

vsto entangle

2 6.5

To make something tangled and difficult to understand

covers wider messy twisting that makes separation difficult beyond a single loop

T

to twine

vsto entangle

1 4.1

To twist threads together or wind them around something

is broader, adding the sense of messy, hard to straighten out

C

to convolute

vsto entangle

1 8.4

Twist or coil together into a tight, tangled mass

is similar but highlights resulting confusion and difficulty separating parts

M

to mat

vsto entangle

1 4.9

To become tangled into a thick mass, especially hair or fur

is similar but applies to confusing masses more generally, not only hair

E

to entangle around

vsto entangle

1 6.4

To twist something so it wraps around another thing and gets stuck

is more general, meaning to create a confusing mass, not only winding

E

to ensnarl

vsto entangle

1 9.3

To catch something in a net or trap so it cannot move

centres on messy twisting and confusion rather than trapping alone

E

to enlace

vsto entangle

• Archaic

1 9.2

To join things by twisting or linking them together

is more about creating confusion and an entangled, hard to separate mass

I

to intermesh

vsto entangle

7.4

To become tangled together like roots so parts are hard to separate

matches this but emphasizes messy confusion over structured connection

E

to embrangle

vsto entangle

• Archaic

9.9

To make something more confused or tangled

leans more to physical twisting into a hard to separate mass

C

to complect

vsto entangle

• UK

9.9

To join parts together by weaving or tangling

means the same interweaving but adds a sense of messy entanglement

I

to interfold

vsto entangle

7.9

To fold together so layers lie inside each other

focuses more on chaotic twisting and making separation difficult

Antonyms

S

to simplify

99 2.5

Make something easier to understand or use

U

to untwist

2 3.7

To make something that is twisted become straight

D

to disentangle

1 5.3

To free something twisted and knotted, like a cord

Phrasal Verbs

E

to entangle around

1 6.4

To twist something so it wraps around another thing and gets stuck

How Tangled

to snarl

6 7.1

to entangle

6 4.9

to knot

5 1.0

to twist

231 1.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology