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
Lisa and Miriam come to Greg’s defense, arguing that the statute in question contains a dangling modifier. Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 And dangling from her device are three miniature classic Pokémon: Pikachu, Ditto, and Poliwag. Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 This one has a streamlined design with a USB-C plug that connects right to the base of iPhone 15 (or other compatible device) — so there are no dangling cables to trip over or snag. Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2024 Hal chases after me on his bike, one leg dangling off of it, as if his ankle is pumping a fist in the air in the same way his arm is. Devin Kelly, Longreads, 7 Mar. 2024 On the swing set in the yard, there were no longer any seats, only metal chains dangling in the breeze. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 More than a dozen people called 911 Friday after an accident left a semi-truck dangling off the side of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, also called the 2nd Street Bridge, with the driver stuck in the cab. Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 6 Mar. 2024 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
Noun
The weakened twigs can be broken by the wind and fall to the ground or dangle from the tree. USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 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

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 28 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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