unravel
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un·rav·el
(ŭn-răv′əl)v. un·rav·eled, un·rav·el·ing, un·rav·els or un·rav·elled or un·rav·el·ling
v.tr.
1.
a. To undo or ravel the entangled, knitted, or woven threads of: unraveled the sweater.
b. To undo or separate (entangled, knitted, or woven threads).
2. To clarify the elements of (something mysterious or baffling); solve: The detective unraveled the mystery.
3. To cause to fail or become ruined or unfulfilled: Their plans to open a restaurant became unraveled.
v.intr.
1. To become unraveled: The seam unraveled.
2. To fail or become ruined or unfulfilled: His life unraveled after the stock market crash.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
unravel
(ʌnˈrævəl)vb, -els, -elling or -elled, -els, -eling or -eled
1. (Knitting & Sewing) (tr) to reduce (something knitted or woven) to separate strands
2. (tr) to undo or untangle (something tangled or knotted)
3. (tr) to explain or solve: the mystery was unravelled.
4. (intr) to become unravelled
unˈraveller n
unˈravelment n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
un•rav•el
(ʌnˈræv əl)v. -eled, -el•ing (esp. Brit.) -elled, -el•ling. v.t.
1. to separate or disentangle the threads of (a fabric, rope, etc.).
2. to free from complications; make plain or clear; solve: to unravel a mystery.
3. to take apart; undo; destroy (a plan, agreement, or arrangement).
v.i. 4. to become unraveled.
[1595–1605]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
unravel
Past participle: unravelled
Gerund: unravelling
| Imperative |
|---|
| unravel |
| unravel |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  unravel - become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers or threads of; "unravel the thread"undo - cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect; "I wish I could undo my actions" |
| 2. |  unravel - disentangle; "can you unravel the mystery?" | |
| 3. |  unravel - become undone; "the sweater unraveled"disintegrate - break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity; "The material disintegrated"; "the group disintegrated after the leader died" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
unravel
verb
1. break up, fail, collapse, go wrong, fall apart, come apart (at the seams) When she returned to America, the marriage unravelled.
2. solve, explain, work out, resolve, interpret, figure out (informal), make out, clear up, suss (out) (slang), get to the bottom of, get straight, puzzle out She wanted to unravel the mystery of her husband's disappearance.
3. undo, separate, disentangle, free, unwind, extricate, straighten out, untangle, unknot He could unravel knots that others could not even attempt.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
unravel
verbTo find a solution for:
Informal: dope out, figure out.
Idiom: get to the bottom of.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مَنْسول الخُيوطيَحُليَفُك الخَيْط
rozluštitrozmotatrozpárat se
løseoptrevletrevle opudrede
felfeslikkibogoz
greiîa úrleysa, ráîa fram úrrakna upp; rekja upp
išsiardyti
atminētatrisinātatšķetinātizārdītizārdīties
rozpárať sa
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
unravel
[ʌnˈrævəl] vi
[knitting] → se défaire; [carpet, fabric] → s'effilocher
(= fall apart) [relationship] → se dégrader; [marriage] → se défaire; [system] → se disloquer; [plan] → péricliter
(= become clearer) [mystery, story] → se dénouer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
unravel
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
unravel
[ʌnˈræv/əl]1. vt (knitting) → disfare; (wool) → dipanare, districare; (threads) → sfilare, sbrogliare (fig) (mystery) → risolvere; (plot) → venire a capo di
2. vi (knitting) → disfarsi; (threads) → sbrogliarsi
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
unravel
(anˈrӕvəl) – past tense unˈravelled (American) unˈraveled – verb1. to take (eg string, thread etc) out of its tangled condition; to disentangle. She could not unravel the tangled thread.
2. (especially of a knitted fabric) to undo or become undone. My knitting (got) unravelled when it fell off the needles.
3. to solve (a problem, mystery etc). Is there no-one who can unravel this mystery?
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.