dangle

Everyday

1. To dangle means to hang down loosely and swing. tree →
2. To dangle something means to hold it so that it hangs loosely. tree →
3. To dangle something in front of someone means to offer it to tempt them. tree →

In the lessons

In stories legs dangle from a high seat or a branch, keys dangle from a hand, a spider dangles on a thread. Safety: loose cords and cables that dangle can be dangerous for small children. Phrases: dangle your legs, dangle from, dangling earrings.

Examples

• My legs dangled over the edge of the pier. tree →
• A spider dangled from the ceiling. tree →
• He dangled the keys in front of the dog. tree →
• Long earrings dangled from her ears. tree →
• Don't let the cable dangle where the baby can reach. tree →
• The kitten tried to catch the dangling string. tree →
• They dangled a prize in front of us to make us work harder. tree →
• Across his back dangled a long fringed quiver. tree →

Note

Regular verb: dangled, dangling (drop the e). Similar: hang, swing. In grammar, a «dangling» word or phrase is one that is not clearly linked to the right word.