tangle
Use Tangle in a sentence
gəl verb (used with object)
1.
to bring together into a mass of confusedly interlaced or intertwisted threads, strands, or other like parts; snarl.
2.
to involve in something that hampers, obstructs, or overgrows: The bushes were tangled with vines.
3.
to catch and hold in or as if in a net or snare.
verb (used without object)
4.
to be or become tangled.
5.
Informal. to come into conflict; fight or argue: I don't want to tangle with him over the new ruling.
00:10
Tangle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to flee; abscond: |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English tangilen, tagilen to entangle < Scandinavian; compare Swedish (dial.) taggla to disarrange
1300–50; Middle English tangilen, tagilen to entangle < Scandinavian; compare Swedish (dial.) taggla to disarrange
Related forms
tan·gle·ment, noun
tan·gler, noun
tan·gly, adverb
Synonyms
8. snarl, net, labyrinth, maze.
8. snarl, net, labyrinth, maze.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To Tangle
Collins
World English Dictionary
tangle1 (ˈtæŋɡəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a confused or complicated mass of hairs, lines, fibres, etc, knotted or coiled together |
| 2. | a complicated problem, condition, or situation |
| —vb (often foll by with) | |
| 3. | to become or cause to become twisted together in a confused mass |
| 4. | to come into conflict; contend: to tangle with the police |
| 5. | (tr) to involve in matters which hinder or confuse: to tangle someone in a shady deal |
| 6. | (tr) to ensnare or trap, as in a net |
| [C14 tangilen, variant of tagilen, probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish dialect taggla to entangle] | |
| 'tanglement1 | |
| —n | |
| 'tangler1 | |
| —n | |
| 'tangly1 | |
| —adj | |
| tangle or tangle weed2 (ˈtæŋɡəl) | |
| —n | |
| alternative names (esp Scot) for oarweed | |
| [C16: of Scandinavian origin: compare Danish tang seaweed] | |
| tangle weed or tangle weed2 | |
| —n | |
| [C16: of Scandinavian origin: compare Danish tang seaweed] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tangle
mid-14c., nasalized variant of tagilen "to involve in a difficult situation, entangle," from a Scand. source (cf. dialectal Swed. taggla "to disorder," O.N. þongull "seaweed"). In ref. to material things, from c.1500. Meaning "to fight with" is Amer.Eng., first recorded 1928. The noun is first
recorded 1615, "a tangled condition." Tanglefoot (1859) was Western Amer.Eng. slang for "strong whiskey."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
If you run the loose end of the cord underneath the knot, the tangle will come undone.
They broke through a tangle of plants and shrubs, and came out on an open path.
To keep framing intelligent questions, historians need to construct forms that give meaning to the tangle of human experience.
To keep your new rope grim and tangle free, a rope bag is included.
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