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

Her look was completed with black open-toe heels, a matching clutch and dangling diamond earrings. —Charna Flam, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

Yes, the dangling air fresheners for cars can also be used on your tree. —Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024

Noun

That’s when Reyes springs into action and grabs the man’s hoodie as his feet dangle above the chilly waters below. —Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024

The earrings are a sort of explosion of motion coming from the cluster of sapphires on the ear, shooting towards the sky with the dangle of the Murano glass and pearls. —Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 10 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