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
Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
My Favorite John Waters Gift Yep, that’s Michael Jackson dangling a baby off the balcony.
—Kim Hastreiter, Curbed, 12 Mar. 2025
Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Instead of releasing spores from gills or pores, these mushrooms have hanging spines—soft, icicle-like structures that dangle from their fruiting bodies.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dangle
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Verb
Phoenix dangled Durant in trade talks before the NBA trade deadline so a trade could be coming down the line.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
My Favorite John Waters Gift Yep, that’s Michael Jackson dangling a baby off the balcony.
—Kim Hastreiter, Curbed, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
Charlie Parker’s Favorite Painting (1946) indicates Abercrombie’s engagement with social issues: a yellow noose, nearly fluorescent against a dishwater sky, dangles from a barren tree—an oblique lament from the doggedly antiracist Abercrombie.
—Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Instead of releasing spores from gills or pores, these mushrooms have hanging spines—soft, icicle-like structures that dangle from their fruiting bodies.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 26 Feb. 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 21 Apr. 2025.
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