Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To move (a young child) up and down in a playful or affectionate way: This is the primary meaning, typically involving holding a baby or small child on one's lap or in one's arms and bouncing or rocking them gently.
   • To pet or fondle in an indulgent manner: To treat someone, especially a child, with excessive affection or pampering.

Usage

• The verb "dandle" is used with a direct object (the child or baby being moved or pampered).
• It describes a gentle, playful, and loving action, often associated with grandparents, parents, or caregivers.
• It is a somewhat old-fashioned or literary word in modern English.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• Figurative/Archaic Use: Historically, "dandle" could be used more broadly to mean to pamper, indulge, or treat someone as a favorite.
  • The king was accused of dandling his courtiers, granting them undue favors.

Variants and Related Words

• Dandling (gerund/noun): The act of dandling.
  • The baby's quiet dandling soon put him to sleep.

Synonyms

• Bounce: To move up and down repeatedly (less affectionate in tone).
• Jiggle: To move with quick, slight jerks.
• Pamper: To treat with excessive indulgence (shares the sense of over-fondling but not the physical motion).
• Fondle: To handle or touch lovingly (broader, not specific to children).

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms

• To dandle someone on a string (archaic/idiomatic): To have someone under one's complete control; to make someone obey one's every wish. This idiom uses "dandle" in a figurative and manipulative sense, contrasting with its usual affectionate physical meaning.
  • The corrupt official had the mayor dandled on a string, influencing every decision.

Verb

1. pet
   • the grandfather dandled the small child
2. move (a baby) up and down in one's arms or on one's knees