dangle
[dang-guh l]
- to hang loosely, especially with a jerking or swaying motion: The rope dangled in the breeze.
- to hang around or follow a person, as if seeking favor or attention.
- Grammar. to occur as a modifier without a head or as a participle without an implied subject, as leaving the tunnel in The daylight was blinding, leaving the tunnel.
- to cause to dangle; hold or carry swaying loosely.
- to offer as an inducement.
- the act of dangling.
- something that dangles.
- keep someone dangling, to keep someone in a state of uncertainty.
Origin of dangle
1580–90; expressive word akin to Norwegian, Swedish dangla, Danish dangle dangle
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com1. swing, sway, flap.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dangle
Contemporary Examples
Dangle mere feet from one of these behemoths to feel very small indeed.
And, like it or not, those are exactly the types of players at whom the Yankees like to dangle money, yearly.
Plenty of novels can dangle the facts well enough to merit our page-turning interest.
Would the Park Avenue Armory string hundreds of Picassos or Rembrandts on wire and dangle them 45 feet in the air?
The leadership may have to dangle choice committee assignments to complete the steal, and engage in other kinds of horse-trading.
Historical Examples
They dangle not down like spindles, but hang stiff and bend at the elbow.
The Merry Adventures of Robin HoodHoward Pyle
While he answered one of Mr. Crane's questions, he let them dangle from his fingers.
They Twinkled Like JewelsPhilip Jos Farmer
She was then but fifteen, and he had just begun to dangle at her heels.
The Root of EvilThomas Dixon
"Very likely to dangle before somebody's eyes," he answered slyly.
The Chestermarke InstinctJ. S. Fletcher
Next moment Yorke was down, and Dangle was not there to pick up the ball.
The Cock-House at FellsgarthTalbot Baines Reed
dangle
- to hang or cause to hang freelyhis legs dangled over the wall
- (tr) to display as an enticementthe hope of a legacy was dangled before her
- the act of dangling or something that dangles
Word Origin
C16: perhaps from Danish dangle, probably of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for dangle
v.
1590s, probably from Scandinavian (cf. Danish dangle, Swedish dangla "to swing about," Norwegian dangla), perhaps via North Frisian dangeln. Related: Dangled; dangling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper