dangle

verb dan·gle \ ˈdaŋ-gəl \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Definition of dangle

dangled; dangling play \-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

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

The investigation said operator error was the reason the Sand Blaster Roller Coaster derailed June 14, causing a cart full of people to dangle above the ground.

— michael williams, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Daytona Beach roller coaster derailed due to excessive speed, operator error, investigation finds," 11 July 2018
If the Nats decided to dangle him, Harper would be the most coveted name on the block behind Manny Machado — and rumors suggest the Orioles could move Machado well before the deadline.

— ted berg, For The Win, "Should the freefalling Nationals look to trade Bryce Harper?," 4 July 2018
With O’Day’s season over, the Orioles not only lose his on-field contributions, but also the opportunity to dangle him as a trade chip later this season.

— eduardo a. encina, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles notes: O'Day to have season-ending surgery," 30 June 2018
There was fire and an explosion when the balloon hit the wires, WXYZ reported, adding that sparking wires were dangling and littering the shore with charred balloon pieces.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "Hot air balloon hits power lines, catches fire, crashes in lake," 24 June 2018
But Trump did seem to be dangling the company on a string.

— felix gillette, Bloomberg.com, "Get Ready for Big Media to Get Bigger After AT&T Victory," 13 June 2018
Others to keep an eye on are the Suns and Hawks, each of whom have multiple picks to dangle.

— jeremy woo, SI.com, "2018 NBA Mock Draft 9.0: Trade Speculation Heats Up," 10 June 2018
By a little after 3 p.m., authorities were able to reel in the metal cables that had been strewn across the street, but a metal bar continued to dangle at the 10th floor of the building.

— tony briscoe, chicagotribune.com, "Man hurt, Michigan Avenue closed just north of Millennium Park after scaffold accident," 8 May 2018
Even Noodles has begun to dangle perks that go beyond employee food discounts, Moore said.

— john schmid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Companies get creative to find workers for in-demand jobs as unemployment shrinks," 4 May 2018

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.