ENTANGLE Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

entangle

verb

in-ˈtaŋ-gəl

Definition of entangle

as in to knot

to twist together into a usually confused mass in the process of taking down the Christmas tree, we managed to entangle the string of lights into a hopeless mess of wires

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to trap

to catch or hold as if in a net the young runaway gradually became entangled in a web of lies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to complicate

to make complex or difficult the history of Alexander the Great is entangled by variant accounts of his exploits

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of entangle Choose solid objects over anything with netting, strings, ropes, ribbons or other materials in which an animal could become entangled. — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026 Under constant threats from above, residents live largely in a spider’s world, with roads, sidewalks and gas stations draped in netting to entangle drones. — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2026 When Jay encounters a giant squid being chased by a mammoth sperm whale, he’s unwittingly entangled in the former’s tentacles and swallowed up in one extended, terrifying sequence. — David MacK, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 The couple had some tumultuous times, getting entangled in a love triangle with fellow Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus at one point. — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for entangle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for entangle

Verb

The 6-foot, 190-pound former track sprinter from Maize High School and Wichita headed upfield hoping for a highlight-reel play that might knot the score.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Austin’s Brandon Vázquez scored for the second time this season, using an assist from Myrto Uzuni, to knot the score in the 66th minute.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of knot

Verb

This year, heavensouls dropped westside trapped, a showcase of plundersymphonic finesse and a tribute to Nigerian beats.

— Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
The 18-story building collapsed Friday in a busy commercial street of the capital Nairobi, trapping construction workers and people reportedly inside shops on the ground and basement floors that had been illegally occupied.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of trap

Verb

Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting neighboring shops, as officers sought to clear the area and provide access to emergency response teams.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Rain that turned into the season's first significant snow, accompanied by strong wind, complicated the already difficult task of tackling the blaze and firefighters had to pull out overnight after several hours, officials said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of complicate

Verb

The costly dispute instead stretched for almost a decade, becoming tangled up with the War of the Austrian Succession.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2026
Turtlenecks also often tangle my hair into unforgiving knots because of their super-high necklines.

— Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of tangle

Verb

My sister was enmeshed for seventeen years in a cycle, one in which denial plays a huge role.

— Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Revenue was only around $8 billion at the time, and the league was enmeshed in controversy, from Spygate to concussion hearings to a pending lockout.

— Will Leitch, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of enmesh

Verb

Also intertwined are ancient myths of warring city-states, the raw, moody poetry of John Keats, and the modern battle between a faithless husband and his wife, the poem’s raging speaker.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
As both women seek solace in the island’s haunting legends, their stories intertwine across time, revealing how betrayal and creativity can lead to murder under the Mediterranean sun.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of intertwine

Verb

One fascination of this brave book—brave in its disclosures but more so in its demands, its spiritual rigor, and its ardent intellectualism—lies in watching the eloquent, intelligent sufferer steadily entrapping herself.

— James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
How else could that show have ended, the way people were being entrapped, and, certainly, with the dubious legality of it all?

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of entrap

Verb

The restriction has also ensnared the country’s interceptors to stop Russia’s drones, causing Ukraine to warn that the Starshield throttling risks civilian lives.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Even leftist lawmakers support to some of those ideas in the wake of a corruption scandal that ensnared the court.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of ensnare

Browse Nearby Words

entails

entangle

entangled

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Style

“Entangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/entangle. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of entangle

verb

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