dangle

verb dan·gle \ ˈdaŋ-gəl \

Definition of dangle

dangled; dangling play \-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

play \-g(ə-)lər\ noun

See dangle defined for English-language learners

See dangle defined for kids

Examples of dangle in a Sentence

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 of dangle from the Web

Not to be overlooked: The plants dangling from the skylight and the cozy corner nook with bright pillows and couch seating.

— katie toussaint, charlotteobserver, "Looking for a caffeine fix? Here are 8 Charlotte coffee shops you need to try," 16 Aug. 2017
One-bedrooms there start at $4,825 a month, said Andrew Brent, a Brookfield spokesman, while two-bedrooms start at $8,150, though a couple of months of free rent is now being dangled as an incentive for some leases.

— c. j. hughes, New York Times, "Hudson Yards Grows Slowly, Apartment by Luxury Apartment," 4 Aug. 2017
The man in the surveillance video peered into the bushes, a crossbow dangling at his side, before eventually leveling the weapon and firing.

— alex harris, miamiherald, "Surveillance video shows man with crossbow stalking ‘Strushie’ the cat," 28 July 2017
Michael Noad from the University of Queensland discovered these musical revolutions in 2000 by analyzing recordings of signing humpbacks, captured with underwater microphones dangled off the side of boats.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Humpback Whales Remix Their Old Songs," 24 July 2017
The round frames appear to sit on the bridge of your nose, and a set of cords dangle over your ears and end in a pair of low-hanging hoop earrings.

— zoë weiner, Teen Vogue, "ASOS Is Now Selling Sunglasses That Double as Hoop Earrings," 24 July 2017
A father in a lei with a cigarette dangling from his mouth leaned down to help his young son straighten his grass skirt.

— rebecca aydin, chicagotribune.com, "Parrotheads converge on Wrigley for Buffett love," 16 July 2017
Carlos dangled his legs from the passenger seat of their empty Jeep, flipping on his electronic cigarette.

— alden woods, azcentral, "'Here for the eviction': More renters forced from homes as affordable-housing crisis deepens," 16 July 2017
This means that international organizations are dangling help in front of women in desperate need of things as basic as food and water — but will give it to them only along with permanent or other forms of contraception.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "Imperialism by Family Planning," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dangle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dangle

probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dangle to dangle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1565

See Words from the same year

dangle Synonyms

Synonyms

hang, sling, suspend, swing

Related Words

hook, mount, pin, tack; drape, festoon, garland, string; extend (out), jut, project, stick out; overhang, protrude; cascade, depend, fall; balance, poise

dangle

noun

Definition of dangle

1 :the action of dangling

2 :something that dangles

Recent Examples of dangle from the Web

His right arm dangles like a rubber band from his shoulder.

— chris hays, OrlandoSentinel.com, "QB Joe Milton, coach Kyle Hayes have special relationship at Olympia," 14 Aug. 2017
But rather than being folded away, out of sight, each individual brief and bralette dangles delicately on a red hanger like a painting on a wall, or an American flag full staff.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "Coming of Age at the Calvin Klein Store," 10 Aug. 2017
A single crystal drop earring dangles from a brass rod; somewhere a women wears its matching other.

— lori waxman, chicagotribune.com, "Murakami and Perez Cordova form an unexpected symmetry at the MCA," 19 July 2017
The cigarette he's been smoking dangles loosely from the corner of his mouth.

— david murphy, Philly.com, "Monk may be safe choice for Sixers at No. 3, but he's the wrong one | David Murphy," 7 June 2017
The mice pop out, and the whole contraption dangles in the trees.

— seth borenstein, The Seattle Times, "In invasive species battle, thinking outside the cage works," 28 Apr. 2017
What remains of the tattered net dangles from the crossbar.

— mike guersch, The Mercury News, "Tracing San Jose Sharks’ Patrick Marleau’s humble roots," 24 Jan. 2017
Dozens of weatherworn rivets and other pieces of ancient hardware dangle from strings, creating the shape of a vessel; only the actual vessel is missing.

— neil genzlinger, New York Times, "‘Vikings,’ Here to Set the Record Straight," 4 Feb. 2016

First Known Use of dangle

1756

DANGLE Defined for English Language Learners

dangle

verb

Definition of dangle for English Language Learners

: to hang down loosely especially in a way that makes it possible to swing freely
: to offer (something) in order to persuade someone to do something

DANGLE Defined for Kids

dangle

verb dan·gle \ ˈdaŋ-gəl \

Definition of dangle for Students

dangled; dangling

1 :to hang loosely especially with a swinging motion

The keys were there, dangling in the ignition.
—Louis Sachar, Holes

2 :to cause to hang loosely

We dangled our feet in the water.

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dangle Synonyms

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dangle

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