dangle

[dang-guhl]

verb (used without object), dan·gled, dan·gling.

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.

verb (used with object), dan·gled, dan·gling.

to cause to dangle; hold or carry swaying loosely.
to offer as an inducement.

noun

the act of dangling.
something that dangles.

Idioms

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

Related formsdan·gler, noundan·gling·ly, adverb

Synonyms for dangle

1. swing, sway, flap.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dangler

Historical Examples of dangler

They saw no more of Dangler, and the footprints had disappeared.
The Rover Boys on the Farm
Arthur M. Winfield (AKA Edward Stratemeyer)
"This must have been Dangler's hangout," was Dick's comment.
The Rover Boys on the Farm
Arthur M. Winfield (AKA Edward Stratemeyer)
A search was still in progress for Dangler, but so far he had not been located.
The Rover Boys on the Farm
Arthur M. Winfield (AKA Edward Stratemeyer)
That was the closest we ever came to going down Dangler's hill.
Back Home
Eugene Wood
I hate a dangler, who is more like a footman than a husband.
Advice to Young Men
William Cobbett

British Dictionary definitions for dangler

dangle

verb

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

noun

the act of dangling or something that dangles

Derived Formsdangler, noundanglingly, adverb

Word Origin for dangle

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dangler

dangle

1590s, probably from Scandinavian (cf. Danish dangle, Swedish dangla "to swing about," Norwegian dangla), perhaps via North Frisian dangeln. Related: Dangled; dangling.