dangled; dangling
ˈdaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 
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
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
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
Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
The rest of the staircase dangled from the ceiling.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Luca Evans, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2025
The central loop has a similar crystal but this one dangles from the top giving it constant movement when worn.
—Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dangle
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Verb
Even if Google can maintain the status quo for the foreseeable future, the company could be headed into Google I/O in late May with a sword of Damocles dangling over its metaphorical head.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
The rest of the staircase dangled from the ceiling.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
One potential 240-pound cornerstone dangles on the edge, as Jacksonville Jaguars tight Evan Engram visited Denver Monday but left without putting pen to paper.
—Luca Evans, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2025
The central loop has a similar crystal but this one dangles from the top giving it constant movement when worn.
—Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dangle
Cite this Entry
“Dangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dangle. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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