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

Verb

• hang
• sling
• suspend
• 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

The preview sees one player driving off a cliff, another dangling from a skyscraper and Tamburello, 44, being carried off on a stretcher after a fall during a Challenge. —Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024

Lopez looked every bit the chic French couture client in a tonal brown overcoat and new-look style dress accessorized with what else, but a black Lady Dior bag dangling from her arm. —Ari Stark, WWD, 25 June 2024

Noun

With office vacancies remaining stubbornly high, building owners are beginning to dangle concessions as a way to entice tenants to rent space in their properties. —George Avalos, The Mercury News, 12 July 2024

Especially in an era where mega-retailers dangle two-day shipping and cross-category carts in front of our eyes at all hours of the day. —Alexandra Polk, refinery29.com, 31 Jan. 2024

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

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