enmesh
UK: ɪnˈmɛʃ | US: ɪnˈmɛʃ
vt. to catch or entangle in or as if in a mesh
vt. to involve in a complicated or compromising situation
The word "enmesh" combines the prefix "en-" (from Old English "in," meaning "in" or "into") with "mesh" (from Old English "mæscre," meaning "net" or "web"). The term originally described physically trapping something in a net, but over time, it evolved metaphorically to describe entangling someone in a complex or restrictive situation. The logic follows the literal action of a net ensnaring an object, extended to abstract entrapment.
The fisherman’s net enmeshed a school of small fish.
She felt enmeshed in the bureaucratic paperwork.
The vines enmeshed the old fence, making it hard to remove.
His lies only enmeshed him deeper in trouble.
The spider’s web enmeshed the unsuspecting fly.