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
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2025
An aide in the House’s budget-writing committee said legislative leaders planned during Monday’s sessions to convene a six-person negotiating committee that would iron out a fiscal 2025 supplemental budget whose loose ends have dangled over Beacon Hill for weeks.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 14 July 2025
Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
The students on last week’s trip congregated at the resort’s main hotel, The Royal, where guests check in under a tall, domed oculus, and swirling $1 million glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly dangle from the casino ceiling.
—Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dangle
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Verb
Hollywood tells these stories by dramatic imperative — dangling that the truth is out there makes for much better storytelling than suggesting those mysterious lights were just illuminating the path of an airplane.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2025
An aide in the House’s budget-writing committee said legislative leaders planned during Monday’s sessions to convene a six-person negotiating committee that would iron out a fiscal 2025 supplemental budget whose loose ends have dangled over Beacon Hill for weeks.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 14 July 2025
Noun
Eyewitnesses saw the two women dangle from a fourth-floor balcony, then plummet to their deaths before firefighters could get a 35-foot ground ladder to them.
—Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
The students on last week’s trip congregated at the resort’s main hotel, The Royal, where guests check in under a tall, domed oculus, and swirling $1 million glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly dangle from the casino ceiling.
—Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 25 Mar. 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 5 Aug. 2025.
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