jangle

1 of 2

verb

jan·​gle ˈjaŋ-gəl How to pronounce jangle (audio)
jangled; jangling ˈjaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce jangle (audio)

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 noun

jangle

2 of 2

noun

1
: a discordant often ringing sound
the jangle of spurs
2
: noisy quarreling
3
: idle talk

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
Butter Bean, an elderly canine of terrier extraction, trots around the house in a sweater vest bearing a jangling sleigh bell. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024 The door is locked but there is a phone number posted outside, and soon a lanky, white-haired man appears jangling a key ring. Nina Strochlic, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023 On a busy night at Button Mash in Echo Park, a thousand different bleeps jangle the air. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023 The sound of Good Humor vendors breaking the monotony of a humid and still Baltimore summer’s night with their jaunty jangling bells is no more. Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 5 Sep. 2023 The plunge in the ruble to above 100 per dollar last week has also jangled nerves among officials and prompted the central bank to make an emergency rate hike, amid concerns the currency’s weakness will stoke inflation and erode Russians’ incomes in the run-up to the election. Bloomberg, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2023 That lends the fact of the celebrities booking it out of there as soon as things got bad an especially jangling symbolic resonance — working together to create a self-sustaining community for a week is a lot easier when the sun is shining. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 5 Sep. 2023 Over a seemingly joyful, jangling acoustic guitar and a stomp-clamp beat, Cutler dives deep into her own self doubt, questions her reality and points out all of her worst tendencies, all while combatting an all-encompassing sense of detachment from her own life. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 14 July 2023 Pinging texts and news alerts relentlessly jangled my nerves. Janet Hook, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2023
Noun
With its electronic beats and pulses, John Hauser’s sound designs nudge the play’s jangle of nerves. Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024 The work is a mix of traditional tracks and some new jingle jangle jams. Keyaira Boone, Essence, 5 Dec. 2023 Kurtis Blow, ‘The Breaks’ (1980) A slinky funk breakdown less than a minute into the rap classic still pops out, as does the clean guitar jangle that powers the song. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023 Amid dramatic jangle, Wesolowski gives Sharpe’s lyrics of unrequited love. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2023 Collins delivers that revelation, and others, with a particularly unsettling jangle of the many bracelets on her wrist. Vulture, 8 Feb. 2023 Take that time during lockdown when the bike chain on my RadRover Step-Thru 1 started making a weird jingle-jangle sound. David Hochman, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2022 With its muscular country-rock jangle and walking bassline, it’s got enough verve to make everyone else long for a visit to the Pelican State as well. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2021 For all the jangle and sugar sweet elements of the band’s undeniably catchy music, there was a caustic quality to Heavenly. Robert Ham, SPIN, 12 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jangle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of jangle was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near jangle

Cite this Entry

“Jangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jangle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on jangle

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