jangle

1 of 2

verb

jan·​gle ˈjaŋ-gəl 

jangled; jangling ˈjaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to make a harsh or discordant often ringing sound

keys jangling in my pocket

2

: to quarrel verbally

3

: to talk idly

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to sound harshly or inharmoniously

b

: to excite to tense irritation

jangled nerves

2

: to utter or sound in a discordant, babbling, or chattering way

jangler

ˈjaŋ-g(ə-)lər 

noun

jangle

2 of 2

noun

1

: a discordant often ringing sound

the jangle of spurs

2

: noisy quarreling

3

: idle talk

Synonyms

Noun

• chatter
• chat
• talk
• jaw

Examples of jangle in a Sentence

Verb

Coins jangled out of the machine.

He jangled his keys loudly outside the door.

Noun

the hall was abuzz with the usual preconvention jangle

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Dédé indulges in jangling percussion but avoids crude, exoticizing gestures. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025

Words came to my mind that illuminated the images, and the images trailed jangling verbs behind them. —Domenico Starnone, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2025

Noun

In the face of this workaday jangle of strangeness and complexity, paranoia starts to seem like a perfectly rational response. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025

The key organizer mutes the noise of key jangles and can keep keys in a tidy stack in a user’s preferred order. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French jangler, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch jangelen to grumble

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing jangle

• jangle someone's nerves

Rhymes for jangle

• angle
• bangle
• dangle
• mangle
• strangle
• tangle
• wrangle
• disentangle
• entangle
• quadrangle
• triangle
• untangle

Kids Definition

jangle

verb

jan·​gle

ˈjaŋ-gəl

jangled; jangling

-g(ə-)liŋ

1

: to make or cause to make a harsh ringing sound

2

: to excite to tense irritation

jangled nerves

jangle noun