verb

unravel

uhn-RA-vuhl

verb

To untangle or separate threads that have become knotted or woven together.

"She patiently unravelled the tangled ball of wool."

"He unravelled the old sweater to reuse the yarn."

To work out or solve something confusing or mysterious, piece by piece.

"Detectives slowly unravelled the mystery behind the disappearance."

"It took years to unravel the truth about the scandal."

To fall apart or break down into disorder.

"Their plan began to unravel the moment the weather turned."

"His alibi unravelled under close questioning."

How to Use Unravel

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo undo something tangled or confusing, either literally (knots, fabric) or figuratively (mysteries, plans falling apart).

Memory tip

It works both ways: you can unravel a sweater with your hands, or a situation can unravel on its own.

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Common pairings

unravel a mystery unravel the truth begin to unravel unravel a plot

Word Forms

unraveled past tense, unravelled past tense, unravel plural, unravelled plural, unraveled plural, unravels singular, unravel singular, unravelled singular, unraveled singular, unravellest singular, unravelest singular, unravelledst singular, unraveledst singular, unravelleth singular, unraveleth singular

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It took years to _____ the truth about the scandal.

Etymology

From un- ("reverse of") plus ravel, "to tangle" — so literally "to un-tangle."

Rhymes for unravel

navel ravel gavel Pavel Havel travel gravel

See all rhymes for unravel →