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Definition of "embroil" [em•broil]

  • To involve in argument, contention, or hostile actions: "Avoid . . . any step that may embroil us with Great Britain” ( Alexander Hamilton). (verb-transitive)
  • To throw into confusion or disorder; entangle. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "embroil" in a sentence
  • "For him to do as the Republicans want, he would again embroil our country in a fight that is not ours."
  • "The only way to really guarantee of giving the United States a bloody nose would be to kind of embroil it in a larger, regional war."
  • "Early in the 17th century, English speakers began using "embroil," a direct adaptation of"