verb
mangle
MANG-gl
verb
1
To damage something badly by crushing, tearing, or cutting it out of shape.
"The car door was mangled in the crash."
"He mangled his finger in the machinery at the factory."
2
To ruin or badly botch something, such as words or a piece of work.
"The presenter mangled the CEO's name twice during the introduction."
noun
1
A hand-cranked device with rollers used to wring water out of wet laundry.
"Grandma still keeps an old mangle in the wash house."
How to Use Mangle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo wreck or badly damage something through crushing or careless handling — or, as a noun, the old-fashioned wringer used for laundry.
Common pairings
mangled beyond recognition
a mangled wreck
put through the mangle
Word Forms
mangled past tense, mangled past tense, mangles plural, mangles plural, mangles singular, mangles singular
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Etymology
From an Anglo-Norman word meaning "to cut to pieces" or "to mutilate," ultimately of Germanic origin, related distantly to "mayhem."