dangle
Americanverb (used without object)
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to hang loosely, especially with a jerking or swaying motion.
The rope dangled in the breeze.
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to hang around or follow a person, as if seeking favor or attention.
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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.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to dangle; hold or carry swaying loosely.
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to offer as an inducement.
noun
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the act of dangling.
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something that dangles.
idioms
verb
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to hang or cause to hang freely
his legs dangled over the wall
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(tr) to display as an enticement
the hope of a legacy was dangled before her
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has dangledperfect 3rd person singular
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have dangledperfect
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have been danglingperfect progressive
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danglingparticiple
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are danglingprogressive
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has been danglingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am danglingprogressive 1st person singular
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danglessingular 3rd person
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is danglingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had dangledperfect
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were danglingprogressive plural
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dangledsimple
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was danglingprogressive singular
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had been danglingperfect progressive
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dangledparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of dangle
1580–90; expressive word akin to Norwegian, Swedish dangla, Danish dangle dangle
Explanation
Dangle means to hang or swing loosely. If you dangle string above a kitten you will both be entertained. The verb dangle probably comes from a late 16th century Danish or Swedish word meaning “loose or pendulous,” though we don’t know for sure. You may have a taste for big, showy earrings that dangle. Or, you might even dangle a possibility — "If you were to dangle the prospect of dessert to a child, then you better follow through!"
Vocabulary lists containing dangle
Keystone Exams: English Composition Glossary
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"Lob's Girl" by Joan Aiken
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The Circuit
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One last bit of video form, to point out that the field for the Juvenile Turf Sprint also includes Mark Casse’s Dirty Dangle - it’s a term from ice hockey, apparently ...
From The Guardian • Nov. 6, 2020
Dangle the prospects of celebrity and riches, and plenty of charlatans rush forward.
From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2019
The 1779 satire features a vapid critic named Dangle and his pal Sneer watching a rehearsal of a new extravaganza from critic-playwright Mr. Puff.
From Washington Post • Dec. 30, 2015
Dangle and Sneer are the names of the critics in Sheridan's late 18th-century comedy, The Critic, while in Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound, Moon and Birdboot prove themselves a mass of insecurities and jealousies.
From The Guardian • Jan. 23, 2013
“It’s the old story over again,” said Dangle.
From The Cock-House at Fellsgarth by Reed, Talbot Baines
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
