ensnarl en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (US)
- ĕn-snärlʹ
- /ɛnˈsnɑː(ɹ)l/
- (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Old French en-bor. Middle English en- English en- English snarl English ensnarl From en- + snarl.
Meanings
-
To entangle; to trap.
They in awayt would closely him ensnarle, / Ere to his den he backward could recoyle, / And so would hope him easily to foyle.
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ensnarling | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| ensnarls | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| ensnarled | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| ensnarled | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Synonyms
entangle · snarl · imply · ensnarl · entangle · enmesh · ensnare · mat · involve · ensnare · ravel · tangle · foul · implicate · snarl