Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense dangles, present participle dangling, past tense, past participle dangled
1. verb
If something danglesfrom somewhere or if you dangle it somewhere, it hangs or swings loosely.
A gold bracelet dangled from his left wrist. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Crystal chandeliers dangled from every ceiling. [VERB preposition/adverb]
He and I were sitting out on his jetty dangling our legs in the water. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
[Also V, V n]
Synonyms: hang, swing, trail, sway More Synonyms of dangle
2. verb
If you say that someone is dangling something attractive before you, you mean they are offering it to you in order to try to influence you in some way.
They've dangled rich rewards before me. [V n + before/in front of]
Synonyms: offer, flourish, brandish, flaunt More Synonyms of dangle
More Synonyms of dangle
dangle in British English
(ˈdæŋɡəl)
verb
1.
to hang or cause to hang freely
his legs dangled over the wall
2. (transitive)
to display as an enticement
the hope of a legacy was dangled before her
noun
3.
the act of dangling or something that dangles
Derived forms
dangler (ˈdangler)
noun
danglingly (ˈdanglingly)
adverb
Word origin
C16: perhaps from Danish dangle, probably of imitative origin
dangle in American English
(ˈdæŋgəl)
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈdangled or ˈdangling
1.
to hang loosely so as to swing back and forth
a long tail dangled from the kite
2.
to be a hanger-on; follow (after)
3.
to lack clear syntactic connection to another element in the sentence in which it occurs
said of a modifier [in “After marrying him, her trouble began,” “marrying” is a dangling participle]
verb transitive
4.
to hold (something) so that it hangs and swings loosely
the child dangled the doll by one arm
5.
to offer in a tempting or teasing way as an inducement
Derived forms
dangler (ˈdangler)
noun
Word origin
< Scand, as in Dan dangle, Ice dingla, to dangle
Examples of 'dangle' in a sentence
dangle
Growing up, there were always certain sartorial carrots dangled in front of me for certain birthdays.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Pilots had begun learning how to parachute with life rafts dangling between their legs.
Giles Whittell Spitfire Women of World War II (2007)
The ribbons which usually tied it at the back were dangling at the front.
Diana Wynne Jones CHARMED LIFE (1977)
But that was then and now slivers of hope dangle by threads.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Live wires left dangling from the ceiling could harm far more than your pride.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
One resident saw two legs dangling out and called the police but the thief got away.
The Sun (2016)
That is some carrot to dangle in front of them.
The Sun (2009)
He was left dangling for four minutes and suffered a brain injury.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Politicians regularly dangle in front of voters the idea of adding another.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Kick off your shoes and dangle your legs off the quayside.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He dropped a couple of euros in the felt hat that dangled from the front.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She dragged out the swing and hung it on chains that dangled from the ceiling of the porch.
Christina Dodd SOMEDAY MY PRINCE (1999)
Many more results like this and it might not be dangled in front of him for too long.
The Sun (2009)
The ride came to a halt and those on board were left dangling hundreds of feet in the air.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It's a light fitting dangling from the ceiling.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Chances of people dangling from ceiling Low.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He was left dangling from a cliff face for three hours before the ropes gave way just as rescuers were preparing to reach him.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
A mangled foot dangled from a sliver of skin.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
This allows me, just about, to reach a dangling foot with one hand and attempt to feed on one trouser leg.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The penniless stand at the sea wall, dangling hooks into the surf, and stare out at the oil tankers queuing up in the bay.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
dangle
British English: dangle VERB
If something dangles from somewhere or if you dangle it somewhere, it hangs or swings loosely.
A gold bracelet dangled from his left wrist.
American English: dangle
Brazilian Portuguese: balançar
Chinese: 悬挂
European Spanish: colgar
French: pendre
German: baumeln
Italian: dondolare
Japanese: ぶら下げる/ぶら下がる
Korean: 매달리다
European Portuguese: balançar
Latin American Spanish: colgar
Chinese translation of 'dangle'
dangle
(ˈdæŋɡl)
vi
to dangle from sth[earrings, keys]某处(處)悬(懸)吊着(著) (mǒuchù xuándiào zhe)
vt
(= swing)
[keys, toy]摇(搖)晃 (yáohuang)
[arms, legs]晃荡(盪) (huàngdang)
1 (verb)
Definition
to hang loosely
A gold bracelet dangled from her left wrist.
Synonyms
hang
The button was hanging on by a thread.
swing
Within moments of arriving, Jingo was climbing and swinging from a tyre.
trail
She came down the stairs, trailing the coat behind her.
sway
The people swayed back and forth with arms linked.
flap
hang down
depend
2 (verb)
He dangled the keys from his finger.
Synonyms
wave
Flags were waving gently in the breeze.
swing
She was swinging a bottle by its neck.
flap
Sheets flapped on the clothes line.
wiggle
She wiggled her fingers to attract his attention.
jiggle
He tapped his feet, hummed tunes and jiggled about.
joggle
3 (verb)
Definition
to display (something attractive) as an enticement
They dangled rich rewards before me.
Synonyms
offer
flourish
He flourished his glass to make the point.
brandish
He appeared in the lounge brandishing a knife.
flaunt
openly flaunting their wealth
tempt someone with
lure someone with
entice someone with
tantalize someone with
Additional synonyms
in the sense of brandish
Definition
to wave (a weapon, etc.) in a triumphant or threatening way
He appeared in the lounge brandishing a knife.
Synonyms
wave,
raise,
display,
shake,
swing,
exhibit,
flourish,
wield,
flaunt
in the sense of flap
Definition
to move backwards and forwards or up and down, like a bird's wings in flight
Sheets flapped on the clothes line.
Synonyms
flutter,
wave,
swing,
swish,
flail
in the sense of flaunt
Definition
to display (oneself or one's possessions) arrogantly