dangle

1 of 2

verb

dan·​gle ˈdaŋ-gəl How to pronounce dangle (audio)
dangled; dangling ˈdaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce dangle (audio)

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 noun

dangle

2 of 2

noun

1
: the action of dangling
2
: something that dangles

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Now as Putin is dangling business opportunities for US firms in Russia as a part of his US negotiations over Ukraine, Trump seems to be eager to make a deal. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, TIME, 26 Feb. 2025 Hurley, who attended the event alongside her son Damian, paired the gown with gold platform sandals, dangling gold earrings and a cross necklace. Marissa Muller, WWD, 23 Feb. 2025
Noun
Hughes skated off the ice as his right arm appeared to dangle. Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025 Joe Raedle | Getty Images Target will soon have another brand to dangle as the discounter tries to convince more shoppers to buy clothing and other discretionary merchandise — Champion. Melissa Repko, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dangle

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dangle was in 1565

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dangle. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on dangle

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