First Known Use: 1565
Dictionary
1dangle
verb dan·gle \ˈdaŋ-gəl\
: 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
dan·gleddan·gling \-g(ə-)liŋ\
Full Definition of DANGLE
intransitive verb
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>
transitive verb
1
: to cause to dangle : swing <dangled her feet in the water>
2
a : to keep hanging uncertainly b : to hold out as an inducement
— dan·gler \-g(ə-)lər\ noun
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Origin of DANGLE
probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Dan dangle to dangle
2dangle
noun
Definition of DANGLE
1
: the action of dangling
2
: something that dangles
First Known Use of DANGLE
1756
DANGLING Defined for Kids
dangle
verb dan·gle \ˈdaŋ-gəl\
dan·gleddan·gling
Definition of DANGLE for Kids
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.>
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