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dangle
[ dang-guhl ]
verb (used without object)
- 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)
- to cause to dangle; hold or carry swaying loosely.
- to offer as an inducement.
noun
- the act of dangling.
- something that dangles.
dangle
/ ˈdæŋɡəl /
verb
- to hang or cause to hang freely
his legs dangled over the wall
- tr to display as an enticement
the hope of a legacy was dangled before her
noun
- the act of dangling or something that dangles
Derived Forms
- ˈdangler, noun
- ˈdanglingly, adverb
Other Words From
- dangler noun
- dangling·ly adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of dangle1
Word History and Origins
Origin of dangle1
Idioms and Phrases
- keep someone dangling, to keep someone in a state of uncertainty.
Example Sentences
Names big and small dangle as trade bait.
To find out, researchers attached live mosquitoes to strips of construction paper and dangled them in front of 19 ray spiders.
It noted an episode at Ms Ventura's apartment when Mr Combs "picked up one of Ms Ventura’s friends like a child and dangled the friend over the balcony".
Anglerfish are best known for their bioluminescent lures, which dangle from their foreheads to attract prey in the perpetual darkness of the deep sea.
The monotony of reheating last night’s dinner collided with the allure of delivery apps, which dangled the promise of something new and indulgent.
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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.
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