dangle

/'dæɳgl/

Thân thiện

He dangles a shiny ornament from a branch of the Christmas tree.

Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To cause something to hang or swing loosely, often from a point of attachment.
   • To hold or offer something enticingly to someone.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To hang or swing loosely and freely.

Examples of Usage

• Transitive Verb:

  • He dangled the keys in front of the lock. (He held the keys so they hung and swung loosely near the lock.)
  • The boss dangled a promotion in front of her to motivate her. (The boss offered the possibility of a promotion as an enticement.)

• Intransitive Verb:

  • The keys dangled from the hook. (The keys hung loosely from the hook.)
  • A loose wire was dangling from the ceiling. (A wire was hanging and swinging freely from the ceiling.)

Advanced Usage

• "to dangle a carrot (before someone)": To offer a tempting reward or incentive to persuade someone to do something.

  • The company dangled the carrot of a company car to attract top candidates.

• "to leave someone dangling": To leave someone in a state of uncertainty or suspense, often by not providing a clear answer or decision.

  • After the interview, they left me dangling for two weeks before calling.

Variants and Related Words

• Dangler (n): 1. Something that dangles. 2. (Grammar, informal) A misplaced modifier, often a participle, that is not clearly connected to the word it modifies.

  • "Walking to the store, the rain started." contains a dangler ("Walking to the store" doesn't logically modify "the rain").

• Dangling (adj): Hanging down loosely.

  • She fixed the dangling thread on her sleeve.

Synonyms

• Hang: To be attached from above with the lower part free. (More general; "dangle" implies a looser, swinging motion.)
• Swing: To move back and forth suspended or on an axis.
• Sway: To move slowly and rhythmically back and forth.
• Flaunt: To display something ostentatiously. (Closer to the "offer enticingly" sense.)

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Dangle about/around/after/round (someone): (Intransitive, somewhat dated/informal) To follow someone closely and persistently, often in hope of gain or favor.
  • Several reporters were dangling around the celebrity, hoping for a comment.

Related Idioms

• Have someone dangling on a string: To have complete control over someone, keeping them in a state of anxious expectation.
  • She had him dangling on a string, never sure if she would agree to go out with him.

Học thuật

Verb

1. cause to dangle or hang freely
   • He dangled the ornaments from the Christmas tree
2. hang freely
   • the ornaments dangled from the tree
   • The light dropped from the ceiling

Từ đồng nghĩa

• swing
• drop