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Glite Dictionary
to ravel out

to ravel out

6.7
To separate twisted threads or make a confused situation clear
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈrævəl aʊt/
translation icon : desenredar
  • It took hours to ravel out the tangled cords behind the television.

Examples

  • She tried to ravel out the threads of the old sweater.

  • The detective worked tirelessly to ravel out the clues of the case.

  • Can you ravel out this knot?

  • She is trying to ravel out the details of the case.

  • It took hours to ravel out the tangled cords behind the television.

  • She tried to ravel out the threads of the old sweater.

  • The detective worked tirelessly to ravel out the clues of the case.

Synonyms

to unravel
vsto ravel out
75 4.4

To find out what really happened in a confusing situation

focuses equally on physical separation and making confusing things clear
to untangle
vsto ravel out
10 3.5

To separate threads or cords that are twisted together

includes that physical action but also covers clarifying confusing situations
to disentangle
vsto ravel out
1 5.3

To free something twisted and knotted, like a cord

is similar but places more weight on explaining or clarifying tangled situations
to unsnarl
vsto ravel out
1 7.6

To free something from a tangle, like knots in rope or wire

leans more toward making unclear things understandable rather than only freeing them
to untwine
vsto ravel out
1 7.4

To separate things that are twisted together, like cables or yarn

is broader, also covering making confusing non-physical matters clear
to unknot
vsto ravel out
1 5.1

To make a tied rope or string loose so it comes apart

is broader, applying to threads and confusing ideas, not only knots
to ravel
vsto ravel out
6.5

To untangle threads or cords that are twisted together

adds the idea of clarifying confusion as well as physical separation
to disembroil
vsto ravel out
  • Formal
9.9

To free a person or thing from a difficult situation

is more concrete, focused on separating threads or making tangled things clear

Antonyms

to complicate
101 4.1

To make something harder to understand or do

How Untangled

to unravel
75 4.4
to ravel out
6.7
to separate
297 1.9
to loosen
88 1.0

Surface Forms

ravel out infinitive
raveled out past
raveled out past participle
raveling out present participle
ravel outs third person singular

Morphology

ravel + out

The MWE's meaning is directly built from 'ravel' (to disentangle) plus the particle 'out' which signals separation or completion; together they yield a straightforward compositional sense of disentangling or working something out. This verb+out pattern is a common, predictable English construction, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Ravel out comes from the image of untangling cloth: to ravel is to pull tangled threads loose and out shows moving them away. So it means 'to untangle' or 'to make a confusing thing clear'.