Mangle Meaning in English
word
Definition
To damage something severely by crushing, tearing, or twisting it. It can also mean to ruin something, especially words or languages, by careless use.
Usage & Nuances
Commonly used for physical destruction ('mangled car'), but also for badly spoken or written language ('mangle a sentence'). Slightly formal; not used for minor damage—implies severe ruin.
Spanish: destrozar - mutilarPortuguese (BR): mutilar - distorcer - estragarPortuguese (PT): mutilar - distorcer - estragarChinese (Simplified): 撕烂 - 严重损坏Chinese (Traditional): 撕爛 - 嚴重損壞Hindi: चाकू से काटकर बिगाड़ देना - बुरी तरह क्षति पहुँचानाArabic: يمزق - يشوهBengali: বিকৃত করা - ছিন্নভিন্ন করাRussian: искалечить - изуродовать - исказить (язык, речь)Japanese: めちゃくちゃにする - 台無しにするVietnamese: làm biến dạng - làm hỏng (ngôn từ)Korean: 망가뜨리다 - 훼손하다 - 엉망으로 만들다 (말, 글)Turkish: paramparça etmek - bozmak (dil, konuşma)Urdu: بگاڑ دینا - مسخ کرنا - بگاڑنا (زبان)Indonesian: merusak parah - melumatkan - merusak (bahasa, ucapan)
Example Sentences
The dog mangled my favorite toy.
basic
The machine accidentally mangled his shirt.
basic
He mangled the wires while trying to fix the lamp.
basic
He completely mangled his speech and nobody could understand him.
natural
Be careful not to mangle the recipe when you try cooking it yourself.
natural
The newspaper headline was so badly worded, it mangled the real story.
natural