To untangle or disentangle something. She began to ravel the threads of the old sweater to reuse the yarn.
To confuse or complicate a situation or issue. The new evidence served to ravel the case further, leaving the detectives puzzled.
To cause the threads of (cloth or rope) to fray or separate; to unweave. Constant washing will ravel the edges of the fabric.
To entangle or knot threads, fibres, or figurative matters. The contradictory testimony only served to ravel the whole affair.