entangle

/ɛnˈtæŋgəl/

/ɛnˈtæŋgəl/

Other forms: entangled; entangling; entangles

To entangle is to snarl, intertwine with, or get caught in. Too often, dolphins entangle themselves in large fishing nets meant to catch tuna or swordfish.

If you mean to trip your brother, you can entangle your leg around his, and when long-haired people don't brush it for days, it will snarl and entangle itself. A figurative way to entangle is to get caught up in a complicated situation: "I didn't mean to entangle you in this mess with my roommates!" Entangle's roots are en-, "put in" or "cause to be" and tangle, or "snarl."

Definitions of entangle

1. verb

   twist together or entwine into a confusing mass
   “The child entangled the cord”

   synonyms: mat, snarl, tangle

   antonyms:

   disentangle

   extricate from entanglement

   types:

   felt

   mat together and make felt-like

   enmesh, ensnarl, mesh

   entangle or catch in (or as if in) a mesh

   type of:

   distort, twine, twist

   form into a spiral shape
2. verb

   entrap
   synonyms: mire

   type of:

   involve

   engage as a participant