tangle
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a messy group of things like hair, string, or branches that are twisted together.
n.a confused, intertwined mass of fibers, hair, or other long strands.
Simple“She spent twenty minutes trying to brush a large tangle out of her hair.”
In context“The old fishing nets lay in a salt-crusted tangle on the deck, making it impossible for the crew to move quickly during the storm.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a complicated situation or set of problems that is difficult to understand or fix.
n.a state of confusion or a complicated, messy situation.
Simple“The lawyer had to sort through a tangle of legal documents to find the truth.”
In context“The merger resulted in a bureaucratic tangle that delayed the product launch by several months.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a specific way that strings or lines cross each other in a mathematical shape.
n.A region of a knot projection where the knot crosses the boundary exactly four times.
Simple“The professor explained how a tangle is used to study the geometry of knots.”
In context“In knot theory, an n-tangle consists of n arcs in a 3-ball whose endpoints lie on the boundary sphere.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to become twisted together in a messy way, or to make something do this.
v.to become intertwined or to cause something to become a confused mass.
Simple“The headphone wires always tangle when I put them in my pocket.”
In context“The kite string began to tangle in the upper branches of the oak tree as the wind died down.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
v.to get involved in an argument or a fight with someone.
v.to enter into a conflict, dispute, or physical fight with an opponent.
Simple“I wouldn't tangle with him; he is the best debater in the school.”
In context“The small startup was hesitant to tangle with the industry giant in a lengthy patent dispute.”
UsageUsually followed by the preposition 'with'.
From Middle English tanglen, probably of North Germanic origin, compare Swedish taggla (“to disorder”), Old Norse þǫngull, þang (“tangle; seaweed”), see Etymology 2 below.
Of North Germanic origin, such as Danish tang or Swedish tång, from Old Norse þongull, þang. See also Norwegian tongul, Faroese tongul, Icelandic þöngull.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.