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
Verb
The loadmaster at the very rear of the plane, nearly dangling out the door, raised a thumbs-up in the air. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024 Attached to the swing is a cute mobile with a plush star and monkey dangling from it, and the seat has a vibration setting to soothe your little one. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024 But instead of dangling cash incentives to potential residents out of state, Alaska instead provides those already within its borders with a yearly sum from its Permanent Fund Dividend, or PFD. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 The outline of the orchid was with a wire and then dangling from the middle of the orchid was a little Venetian chain with a drop at the end. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 29 Feb. 2024 Too much bait dangling past the hook point allows sneaky bluegill to steal bait without getting hooked. David A. Brown, Field & Stream, 28 Feb. 2024 Sweeney's gown included rows of crystals dangling down and across the dress' entire translucent nude fabric. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 The sixty-carat diamond dangling over the bridge of Princess Pignatelli’s nose, and the grab-the-stone-and-run look that comes over everyone who sees it. . . Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024 Next morning poor Steve opened his eyes and dangling right in front of them was Larry, who had hung himself. Corky Carroll, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Noun
Feathers dangle from the ceiling, and traditional medicines and herbs in small leather pouches are close by. David Kelly, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2024 In the center of the dining area, a clown sculpture dangles from a cluster of colorful faux balloons attached to the ceiling. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 Williams was free of jewelry except for one pair of dangle diamond earrings. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024 Use these to dangle crystal beads or hang candles like the Raindrop hanging candle holders ($5, shopwildthings.com/hacaho). Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2024 Despite a massive daily cleanup operation that leaves the post-parade landscape remarkably clean, uncaught beads dangle from tree limbs like Spanish moss and get ground into the mud under the feet of passers-by. Kevin McGill, Quartz, 11 Feb. 2024 Gomez posted two Instagram Stories of herself in a gold asymmetrical dress and dangle earrings alongside her friend. Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 21 July 2023 Back in the kitchen, Brown scrapes food into the garbage disposal as the keys to her home dangle off a lanyard around her neck. Molly Castle Work | Kff Health News, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024 As a result, vehicle supplies on dealer lots are strong and growing, and prices are starting to fall as automakers and dealers dangle discounts. Tom Krisher, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dangle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near dangle

Cite this Entry

“Dangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dangle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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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