Link Centre Dictionary

tangle

UK/ˈtæŋ.ɡəl/ US/ˈtæŋ.ɡəl] ~ [ˈtæŋ.ɡl̩/ uncommon
noun (2) verb (4)

noun

1.

a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven

  • “they carved their way through the tangle of vines”
2.

something jumbled or confused

  • “a tangle of government regulations”
Synonyms

verb

1.

force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action

  • “They were swept up by the events”
  • “don”
Synonyms
2.

tangle or complicate

  • “a ravelled story”
Synonyms
Antonyms
3.

disarrange or rumple; dishevel

  • “The strong wind tousled my hair”
Synonyms
4.

twist together or entwine into a confusing mass

  • “The child entangled the cord”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

From Middle English tanglen, probably of North Germanic origin, compare Swedish taggla (“to disorder”), Old Norse þǫngull, þang (“tangle; seaweed”), see Etymology 2 below.

Phrases

  • tangle net
  • tau tangle

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.