1. (v. t.) To separate or undo the texture of; to take apart; to untwist; to unweave or unknit; -- often followed by out; as, to ravel a twist; to ravel out a stocking.

2. (v. t.) To undo the intricacies of; to disentangle.

3. (v. t.) To pull apart, as the threads of a texture, and let them fall into a tangled mass; hence, to entangle; to make intricate; to involve.

4. (v. i.) To become untwisted or unwoven; to be disentangled; to be relieved of intricacy.

5. (v. i.) To fall into perplexity and confusion.

6. (v. i.) To make investigation or search, as by picking out the threads of a woven pattern.

Chinese puzzle Gordian knot Rube Goldberg contraption answer ball up bottom can of worms clarify clear up complex complicate confound confuse crack debug decipher decode disembroil disentangle disintricate disinvolve divine do dope dope out embrangle entangle explain fathom figure out find out find the answer find the solution foul up get get right guess guess right have it hit it implicate interpret involve jungle knot labyrinth louse up make out maze meander mesh mess mess up mix up muck muck up muddle open the lock perplex plumb psych psych out puzzle out ramify ravel out resolve riddle screw up snafu snake pit snarl snarl up solve sort out tangle tangled skein unbraid unclutter uncoil undo unknot unlock unmix unravel unriddle unscramble unsnarl untangle unthread untwine untwist unweave unwind webwork wheels within wheels wilderness work work out