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tangle definition

tan·gle (taŋgəl)

transitive verb tangled -·gled, tangling -·gling

  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

Etymology: 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:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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