dangle

1 of 2

verb

dan·​gle ˈdaŋ-gəl 

dangled; dangling ˈdaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to hang loosely and usually so as to be able to swing freely

2

: to be a hanger-on or a dependent

3

: to occur in a sentence without having a normally expected syntactic relation to the rest of the sentence (such as climbing in "Climbing the mountain the cabin came into view")

a dangling participle

a dangling modifier

transitive verb

1

: to cause to dangle : swing

dangled her feet in the water

2

a

: to keep hanging uncertainly

b

: to hold out as an inducement

dangler

ˈdaŋ-g(ə-)lər 

noun

dangle

2 of 2

noun

1

: the action of dangling

2

: something that dangles

Synonyms

Verb

• hang
• sling
• suspend
• swing

Examples of dangle in a Sentence

Verb

Let your arms dangle at your sides.

She sat on the edge of the pool, dangling her feet in the water.

He dangled a piece of string in front of the cat.

The money she dangled in front of him wasn't enough to convince him to sell.

They refused to accept the money that was dangled before their eyes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Trump, meanwhile, has dangled a host of tax cuts to everyone from senior citizens (promising to get rid of income taxes on Social Security) to tipped workers (vowing to eliminate taxes on tips). —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024

But daylight brings its own challenges: Dreaming Bear’s bandages need changing and his colostomy bag, which dangles down where his legs used to be, requires emptying. —Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024

Noun

Use a water glass or other container that’s a little smaller than the bulb to allow the roots to dangle in the water without the bulb falling inside and getting stuck. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2024

En Pointe Nutcracker Earrings The brand’s intricate dangle earrings are among its most popular pieces. —Ali Faccenda, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dangle to dangle

First Known Use

Verb

1565, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

dangle

verb

dan·​gle

ˈdaŋ-gəl

dangled; dangling

-g(ə-)liŋ

1

: to hang loosely especially with a swinging motion

2

: to be left without proper grammatical connection in a sentence

a dangling participle

3

: to cause to dangle : swing

dangler

-g(ə-)lər

noun