tangle

Noun · Verb
Synonyms: snarlmazeembroilsweepsweep updragdrag inravelknottousledishevelentangle

WordNet 3.0

Noun (2)

  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: snarlmaze

Verb (4)

  1. force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action“They were swept up by the events”“don't drag me into this business”Synonyms: embroilsweepsweep updragdrag in
  2. tangle or complicate“a ravelled story”Synonyms: ravelknot
  3. disarrange or rumple; dishevel“The strong wind tousled my hair”Synonyms: tousledishevel
  4. twist together or entwine into a confusing mass“The child entangled the cord”Synonyms: entanglematsnarl
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Tangle \Tan"gle\, v. i. To be entangled or united confusedly; to get in a tangle. [1913 Webster]
Tangle \Tan"gle\, n.

1.[Cf. Icel. [thorn]["o]ngull. See Tang seaweed.] (Bot.) Any large blackish seaweed, especially the Laminaria saccharina. See Kelp. [1913 Webster]

Coral and sea fan and tangle, the blooms and the palms of the ocean.— C. Kingsley.[1913 Webster]

2.[From Tangle, v.] A knot of threads, or other thing, united confusedly, or so interwoven as not to be easily disengaged; a snarl; as, hair or yarn in tangles; a tangle of vines and briers. Used also figuratively. [1913 Webster]

3.pl. An instrument consisting essentially of an iron bar to which are attached swabs, or bundles of frayed rope, or other similar substances, -- used to capture starfishes, sea urchins, and other similar creatures living at the bottom of the sea. [1913 Webster]

Blue tangle. (Bot.)See Dangleberry.

Tangle picker (Zool.), the turnstone. [Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster]

Tangle \Tan"gle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tangled; p. pr. & vb. n. Tangling.] [A frequentative fr. tang seaweed; hence, to twist like seaweed. See Tang seaweed, and cf. Tangle, n.]

1.To unite or knit together confusedly; to interweave or interlock, as threads, so as to make it difficult to unravel the knot; to entangle; to ravel. [1913 Webster]

2.To involve; to insnare; to entrap; as, to be tangled in lies. "Tangled in amorous nets." --Milton. [1913 Webster]

When my simple weakness strays, Tangled in forbidden ways.— Crashaw.[1913 Webster]
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