embroil
/im'brɔil/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To involve someone deeply in an argument, conflict, or complicated situation, often against their will or without their full understanding of the consequences.
Usage
The verb "embroil" is used to describe the action of causing someone to become entangled in a difficult, confusing, or contentious matter. It often implies that the involvement is problematic, unwanted, or leads to conflict.
Examples
- Verb:
- The journalist's controversial article embroiled the newspaper in a legal dispute.
- I don't want to embroil you in my family's problems.
- The company became embroiled in a scandal over its accounting practices.
Advanced Usage
- "to embroil oneself in something": To voluntarily or carelessly involve oneself in a difficult situation.
- He foolishly embroiled himself in their political feud.
- "to be/become embroiled in/with": A common passive construction describing the state of being involved.
- The two nations are embroiled in a bitter trade war.
- She found herself embroiled with a group of activists.
Variants and Related Words
- Embroilment (n): The state or condition of being embroiled; involvement in conflict or difficulty.
- The embroilment in the lawsuit drained the company's resources.
Synonyms
- Entangle: To involve in a complicated or compromising situation.
- Enmesh: To catch or involve in a net-like situation, making escape difficult.
- Involve: (More neutral) To include as a necessary part or result.
Phrasal Verbs
(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs. The related concepts are expressed through prepositional phrases like "embroil in" or "embroil with.")
Related Idioms
(There are no common idioms that use the word "embroil" as their core component. The word itself often conveys the idiomatic sense of being "caught up in" something.)
Verb
- force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action
- They were swept up by the events
- don't drag me into this business