tangle

noun

/ˈtæŋɡl/

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a twisted mass of threads, hair, etc. that cannot be easily separated
- a tangle of branches
- Her hair was a mass of tangles.
Extra Examples
- This string's in a tangle.
- a dense tangle of undergrowth
- (figurative) I had to pick my way through the tangle of bodies.
- (figurative) a confused tangle of voices
Topics Appearancec2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- confused
- dense
- thick
- …
… of tangles
- mass
verb + tangle
- get in/into
- sort out
- unravel
- …
preposition
- in a tangle
- tangle of
See full entry
a lack of order; a confused state
- His financial affairs are in a tangle.
Extra Examples
- The legal tangle was never really unravelled.
- These arrests have created a diplomatic tangle.
- a complex tangle of loyalties
- He got into a tangle pronouncing her name.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- confused
- dense
- thick
- …
… of tangles
- mass
verb + tangle
- get in/into
- sort out
- unravel
- …
preposition
- in a tangle
- tangle of
See full entry
(informal) a disagreement or fightTopics Opinion and argumentc2

Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘entangle, catch in a tangle’): probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Swedish dialect taggla ‘disarrange’.

tangle

verb

/ˈtæŋɡl/

[transitive, intransitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they tangle	/ˈtæŋɡl/ /ˈtæŋɡl/
he / she / it tangles	/ˈtæŋɡlz/ /ˈtæŋɡlz/
past simple tangled	/ˈtæŋɡld/ /ˈtæŋɡld/
past participle tangled	/ˈtæŋɡld/ /ˈtæŋɡld/
-ing form tangling	/ˈtæŋɡlɪŋ/ /ˈtæŋɡlɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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tangle (something) up to twist something into an untidy mass; to become twisted in this way
- She had tangled up the sheets on the bed as she lay tossing and turning.
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘entangle, catch in a tangle’): probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Swedish dialect taggla ‘disarrange’.