Meaning & use
entwine
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To twist or weave things around one another so they are joined.
Grammar: Can take an object or be used alone: entwine ribbons; the vines entwine.
Patterns
- entwine something with something
- entwine around something
She entwined flowers in her hair before the wedding.
The two vines entwine as they climb the fence.
He entwined his fingers with hers.
verbtransitivefigurative
To connect people, events or ideas so closely that they cannot easily be separated.
Grammar: Often passive: their lives were entwined.
Patterns
- be entwined with something
Their fates became entwined during the war.
The history of the town is closely entwined with the river.
The two stories entwine in the final chapter.
Word forms
| third person singular | entwines |
|---|---|
| past tense | entwined |
| past participle | entwined |
| -ing form | entwining |
Common combinations
- entwined fingers
- They walked with entwined fingers.
- entwine around
- Ivy entwined around the old gate.
- closely entwined
- Music and memory are closely entwined.
- lives entwined
- Their lives remained entwined for decades.
- entwine with
- Her story entwines with her brother's.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intertwine
- Intertwine is almost identical but slightly more common for describing both objects and ideas.
- interlace
- Interlace suggests a more orderly, pattern-like crossing of strands.
- twist
- Twist is a general term and does not imply that two things are joined together.
- entangle
- Entangle often implies a messy or trapped result, while entwine can be neat or romantic.
Opposites
Word family
- twine verb
- to twist around something
- twine noun
- strong string
- entwined adjective
- twisted or connected together
- intertwine verb
- to twist together closely
Practice
Which sentence uses entwine in its figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
Politics and history cannot be physically twisted, so the verb is figurative there. The other sentences describe physical objects.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “entwine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.