to tangle

Examples

• All

• And it was wrong of me to get you tangled up in that.

  The Last Kiss (2006)

• And so in this way, nation and empire also get tangled up.

  YaleCourses

• Now, all of these things wind up getting tangled up together.

  Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

• It's better not to even get tangled up in all that.

  Fiction book (1994)

• Don't let this get tangled up again.

  All of Us Strangers (2023)

• They destroyed my movie and I got tangled up in this.

  Killer Whales (2022)

• The situation became more tangled by Frost's illness in early 1940.

  Academic text (1996)

• The arguments and, yes, debates about low-achieving students have become tangled with many other concerns.

  Academic text (1995)

• You know, boxers hang around places like this... and you don't want to get tangled up with that kind of crowd.

  Cinderella Man (2005)

• Well, I'm, uh, I'm sorry this got so tangled up, Vicky, but the decision on Mrs. Rinehart's project is one of therapeutic policy.

  The Cobweb (1955)

Synonyms

P

to puzzle

vsto tangle

73 4.9

To make someone feel confused when something is hard to understand

is the act of mixing or entangling things so understanding becomes hard

M

to mix up

vsto tangle

• Informal

65 2.7

To make people confused and things messy

adds the sense of physical or tangled mixing, not only disorder

I

to intertwine

vsto tangle

46 5.4

Twist things together so they become joined or tangled

covers making things confused or mixed, not only forming patterned links

C

to confuse

vsto tangle

38 1.9

Mix things up so their order is not clear

is more about creating complications by entangling or mixing than just disorder

M

to muddle

vsto tangle

33 4.8

Mix things up so they are unclear

is similar but often implies physical or tangled mixing as well

J

to jumble

vsto tangle

22 3.8

Mix things together in a confused way

can imply a tangling that makes separation or understanding especially hard

E

to entangle

vsto tangle

6 4.9

Twist things together so they are hard to separate

is the general act of making things complicated or hard to understand

S

to snarl

vsto tangle

6 7.1

To make something more confused or tangled

describes making something confused or mixed without stressing blockage

K

to knot

vsto tangle

2 6.5

To make something tangled and difficult to understand

is broader, meaning to cause confusion or complicated mixing rather than only knots

S

to snarl up

vsto tangle

• UK

1 7.8

Make things tangled or blocked so progress slows

is about making things confused or mixed, not only stopping progress

E

to embrangle

vsto tangle

• Archaic

9.9

To make something more confused or tangled

means causing confusion or mixing that makes things hard to separate

R

to ravel

vsto tangle

8.4

To make a situation or story more confusing

focuses on making things tangled or mixed so they become hard to sort

R

to remuddle the issue

vsto tangle

9.3

To make a problem more confusing instead of clearer

is the basic action of causing confusion or complex mixing generally

M

to muddy up

vsto tangle

• Informal

6.7

To make an idea or situation unclear and confusing

is the act of creating confusion often by mixing or entangling parts

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

T

to tangle with

21 6.5

To get into a fight with another person or group

Compounds

S

sea tangle

• UK

6.8

A large brown seaweed that grows in cold water near the coast

T

tangle orchid

• Australian

9.9

An orchid with tangled roots, thin wiry stems, and small fragrant green flowers

How Confused

to entangle

24 6.3

to tangle

28 4.7

to muddle

33 4.8

to confuse

266 1.9

to mix up

• Informal

65 2.7

Surface Forms

Etymology