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Definition of unravel verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

unravel

verb
 
/ʌnˈrævl/
 
/ʌnˈrævl/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they unravel
 
/ʌnˈrævl/
 
/ʌnˈrævl/
he / she / it unravels
 
/ʌnˈrævlz/
 
/ʌnˈrævlz/
past simple unravelled
 
/ʌnˈrævld/
 
/ʌnˈrævld/
past participle unravelled
 
/ʌnˈrævld/
 
/ʌnˈrævld/
(US English) past simple unraveled
 
/ʌnˈrævld/
 
/ʌnˈrævld/
(US English) past participle unraveled
 
/ʌnˈrævld/
 
/ʌnˈrævld/
-ing form unravelling
 
/ʌnˈrævlɪŋ/
 
/ʌnˈrævlɪŋ/
(US English) -ing form unraveling
 
/ʌnˈrævlɪŋ/
 
/ʌnˈrævlɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. [transitive, intransitive] unravel (something) if you unravel threads that are twisted, woven or knitted, or if they unravel, they become separated
    • I unravelled the string and wound it into a ball.
  2. [intransitive] (of a system, plan, relationship, etc.) to start to fail or no longer stay together as a wholeTopics Difficulty and failurec2
  3. [transitive, intransitive] unravel (something) to explain something that is difficult to understand or is mysterious; to become clearer or easier to understand
    • The discovery will help scientists unravel the mystery of the Ice Age.
    Extra Examples
    • a complicated relationship that is difficult to unravel
    • Gradually, the mystery began to unravel.
See unravel in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
trait
noun
 
 
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