to snarl

Examples

• All

• Traffic is still snarled up on the Williamsburg Bridge.

  5 Flights Up (2014)

• I'd like to, but it might snarl things up.

  It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

• A blizzard like this would snarl traffic and back it up as far as the mountains.

  Fiction book (1997)

• So she would just randomly click buttons, until the TV was snarled into some unmanageable condition.

  Just Like Heaven (2005)

• Regina crouched and reached beneath the bush with her left foot to release the snarled ball.

  Fiction book (1999)

• The wires were snarled together, making it impossible to separate them.

• After hours of searching, the detective found himself snarling the details of the case even further.

• The artist's brushes became snarled in a messy bundle, complicating his painting process.

Synonyms

M

to mix up

vsto snarl

• Informal

65 2.7

To make people confused and things messy

implies causing confusion by tangling parts together rather than general disorder

I

to intertwine

vsto snarl

46 5.4

Twist things together so they become joined or tangled

applies this action to produce complication by entangling elements together

C

to confuse

vsto snarl

38 1.9

Mix things up so their order is not clear

adds emphasis on causing this by linking or tangling different parts together

M

to muddle

vsto snarl

33 4.8

Mix things up so they are unclear

adds physical entangling as the main way to increase confusion and complication

T

to tangle

vsto snarl

28 4.7

To make a story or idea hard to understand

focuses on causing messy entanglement that increases complication and confusion

J

to jumble

vsto snarl

22 3.8

Mix things together in a confused way

involves entangling that produces confusion rather than mere disorder

E

to entwine

vsto snarl

21 5.4

To twist things together, often like plants or rope

uses that winding to cause confusion and make matters more complicated

M

to muddy the waters

vsto snarl

• Informal

7 7.2

Make a topic more confusing by adding unclear details

does similar confusing but specifically by entangling elements together physically

E

to entangle

vsto snarl

6 4.9

Twist things together so they are hard to separate

creates complication by linking items together until they become confused

K

to knot

vsto snarl

2 6.5

To make something tangled and difficult to understand

is about complicating things by tightly joining parts rather than loose mixing

M

to mat

vsto snarl

1 4.9

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

focuses on general complication by tangling items, not just forming a thick mass

S

to snarl up

vsto snarl

• UK

1 7.8

Make things tangled or blocked so progress slows

describes making things more confused by physically linking parts together

E

to embrangle

vsto snarl

• Archaic

9.9

To make something more confused or tangled

is identical in meaning but appears as a different word form

R

to ravel

vsto snarl

8.4

To make a situation or story more confusing

does the same but emphasises complicating by twisting things together

M

to muddy up

vsto snarl

• Informal

6.7

To make an idea or situation unclear and confusing

focuses on physical linking and tangling to create confusion and complication

R

to remuddle the issue

vsto snarl

9.3

To make a problem more confusing instead of clearer

involves tangling parts to complicate matters rather than only restating confusion

Antonyms

S

to simplify

99 2.5

Make something easier to understand or use

U

to untangle

12 4.9

To free someone from a difficult or confusing situation

Phrasal Verbs

S

to snarl up

• UK

1 7.8

Make things tangled or blocked so progress slows

Compounds

S

snarl-up

• UK

7.2

A traffic jam where cars block each other and cannot move

How Tangled

to entangle

24 6.3

to snarl

6 7.1

to tangle

46 3.7

to knot

5 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology