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
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
The assumption, of course, was that after four years dangling below the playoff window, Racing would only be able to manage one rung of improvement.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
There’s no sign of a rider’s face, but a head of well-coiffed hair dangles from the creature’s eyeless muzzle.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dangle
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Verb
Priced between 40 euros for the smallest individual trinkets and up to 1,290 euros for a ball necklace with 20 dangling objects, the collaboration will drop on Thursday at Avgvst’s flagship in Berlin and online.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
The assumption, of course, was that after four years dangling below the playoff window, Racing would only be able to manage one rung of improvement.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
The disaster forced terrified guests and hotel staff to leap from windows or dangle bedsheets to escape rooms engulfed in smoke and flames.
—CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
There’s no sign of a rider’s face, but a head of well-coiffed hair dangles from the creature’s eyeless muzzle.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 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 6 Nov. 2025.
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