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 of dangle

Verb

• hang
• 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

In the eyes of the conferences, and CFP committee, the allure of a postseason bid is the carrot that would dangle in front of them so that fans would look the other way at the nonsense this creates for the football played in September or October. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Think tombstones, solid skeletons, signs or other decorations that hold their shape and don’t have loose or dangling parts. — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026

Noun

As for accessories, Swift continued the shimmer with diamond dangle earrings by Leviev and an Etho Maria diamond ring. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 27 Sep. 2026

The goal is to collect three ducks and place them in a bowl of water using a hook that dangles between the players' legs. — Jenny Porter Tilley, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for dangle

• angle
• bangle
• jangle
• mangle
• strangle
• tangle
• wrangle
• disentangle
• entangle
• quadrangle
• triangle
• untangle

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