Tangle Meaning
/ˈtæŋ.ɡəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo mix together or intertwine.
verbTo become mixed together or intertwined.
Sentence Examples
Don't pull, or you'll tangle the threads.
I wish I could tangle your hair into beautiful braids.
CEFR Practice Quiz
You should be careful not to ____ the wires when you put them away.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I had to spend several minutes trying to ____ the messy knot in my fishing line before I could start fishing today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English tanglen, probably of North Germanic origin, compare Swedish taggla (“to disorder”), Old Norse þǫngull, þang (“tangle; seaweed”), see Etymology 2 below.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"By the afternoon it seemed as if the storm had passed and that frost was setting in; but in the evening the wind rose to gale force, bringing telegraph poles down like skittles and tangling power and telephone lines."
— 1960 March, “The January blizzard in the North-East of Scotland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 137:
"Compared to the last time they'd tangled with the U.S. Navy's carriers, the antiaircraft fire had been much, much more effective, even if the Wildcats hadn't done particularly well in their intercepts. They couldn't know it, of course, but the officer aboard Enterprise who'd recommended recarpeting the ship with 20-mm Oerlikons had, at least partially, been listened to, and the effect on the Japanese Navy's elite aircrews had been devastating."
— 2021 February 3, Drachinifel, 19:47 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - Santa Cruz (IJN 2 : 2 USN), archived from the original on 04 Dec 2022:
"After a few attempts at counseling, they separated in January 2015. Since then, they have tangled in the courts."
— 2021 August 20, Daisuke Wakabayashi, “Who Gets the L.L.C.? Inside a Silicon Valley Billionaire’s Divorce.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
"tangled in amorous nets"
— 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 2:
"When my simple weakness strays, / Tangled in forbidden ways."
— 1646, Richard Crashaw, Steps to the Temple:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
You should be careful not to ____ the wires when you put them away.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I had to spend several minutes trying to ____ the messy knot in my fishing line before I could start fishing today.