Definition of dangle
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 (as climbing in “Climbing the mountain the cabin came into view”) <a dangling participle> <a dangling modifier>
1 : to cause to dangle : swing <dangled her feet in the water>
2a : to keep hanging uncertainlyb : to hold out as an inducement
danglerplay \-g(ə-)lər\ noun
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.
Origin and Etymology of dangle
probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dangle to dangle
First Known Use: 1565
First Known Use of dangle
DANGLE Defined for English Language Learners
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
Definition of dangle for Students
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.>
Seen and Heard
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