dangle

play

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
2a : to keep hanging uncertainlyb : 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

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
Attached to one of the beams is a dainty iron chandelier with curved arms and crystals dangling from them, a soft touch to its cabin-like architecture.

— madeleine winer, The Courier-Journal, "Tuscan lodge in Goshen pairs grandeur with comfort," 13 July 2017
Once in the meeting, the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, dangled evidence that Russians were funding the Democratic National Committee and helping Clinton, but didn’t provide proof and instead talked about adoptions, frustrating Trump Jr.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Three Stories of Donald Trump Jr. (So Far)," 10 July 2017
The funding cutoff comes at a time when other states are dangling startup funds and other incentives to spur economic development and attract top tech talent.

— nancy dahlberg, miamiherald, "Tech funders, startups already feeling sting of state budget cuts," 10 July 2017
Qatar Airways, the flagship carrier, has detoured flights by hundreds of miles to avoid the airspace of boycotting countries, and travel executives are dangling promotions.

— mohammed sergie, Bloomberg.com, "Qatar Learns to Cope With Its Isolation as Saudi Deadline Looms," 4 July 2017
A photo of a smiling black soldier shaking hands with a cigarette-dangling white soldier became emblematic of their effort.

— Washington Post, "Alaska lauds black soldiers’ work on famed WWII highway," 27 June 2017
A photo of a smiling black soldier shaking hands with a cigarette-dangling white soldier became emblematic of their effort.

— rachel d'oro, The Seattle Times, "Alaska lauds black soldiers’ work on famed WWII highway," 26 June 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

noun dan·gle

Definition of dangle

1 : the action of dangling
2 : something that dangles

Recent Examples of dangle from the Web

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
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

play

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

play

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.