tangle

Tangle is defined as to fight, trap, or make a knot.

(verb)

  1. An example of tangle is for two young boys to fight on the playground.
  2. An example of tangle is to catch strands of hair in a brush.

The definition of a tangle is a confusion, trapping or a mess.

(noun)

An example of a tangle is a person stuck in a spider web.

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See tangle in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb tangled, tangling

  1. to hinder, obstruct, or confuse by or as by covering, circling, entwining, etc.
  2. to catch in or as in a net or snare; trap
  3. to make a knot or snarl of; intertwist

Origin: ME tanglen, prob. nasalized var. of taglen, to entangle, akin to Swed dial. taggla, to disarrange

intransitive verb

  1. to become tangled
  2. Informal to fight, quarrel, or argue

noun

  1. an intertwisted, confused mass of things, as string, branches, etc.; snarl
  2. a jumbled, confused condition
  3. a perplexed state
  4. Informal a fight, quarrel, or argument

Related Forms:

See tangle in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb tan·gled, tan·gling, tan·gles
verb, transitive
  1. To mix together or intertwine in a confused mass; snarl.
  2. To involve in hampering or awkward complications; entangle.
  3. To catch and hold in or as if in a net; entrap. See Synonyms at catch.
verb, intransitive
  1. To be or become entangled.
  2. Informal To enter into argument, dispute, or conflict: tangled with the law.
noun
  1. A confused, intertwined mass.
  2. A jumbled or confused state or condition.
  3. A state of bewilderment.
  4. Informal An argument or altercation.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English tangilen, to involve in an embarrassing situation

Origin: , variant of tagilen

Origin: , probably of Scandinavian origin

Origin: ; akin to Swedish dialectal taggla, to entangle

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Related Forms:

  • tanˈgly adjective

noun
A large seaweed of the genus Laminaria.

Origin:

Origin: Of Scandinavian origin

Origin: ; akin to Old Norse thöngull, seaweed

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