untangle

English

Etymology

From un- +‎ tangle.

Pronunciation

  • (General American) IPA(key): /ʌnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -æŋɡəl

Verb

untangle (third-person singular simple present untangles, present participle untangling, simple past and past participle untangled)

  1. (transitive) To remove tangles or knots from.
    Synonyms: disentangle, unravel; see also Thesaurus:untangle
    Synonyms: tangle; see also Thesaurus:tangle
    With gentle combing, untangle your hair.
    • 2024 July 27, The Canadian Press, “Rescuers untangle gear from humpback whale off B.C.'s coast”, in CBC News‎[1], archived from the original on 15 December 2025:
      Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it has successfully untangled fishing gear from a humpback whale off British Columbia's coast that was first spotted by a ferry passenger.
  2. (transitive, by extension, figurative) To remove confusion or mystery from.
    Synonym: demystify
    It took a while, but he finally untangled the problem.

Derived terms

Translations

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