Dangling

/ˈdæŋɡlɪŋ/ verb

Definition

Hanging loosely and swinging back and forth, or offering something as a temptation without actually giving it to someone.

Etymology

From Middle English 'danglen,' possibly from Scandinavian languages. The word evolved to describe something hanging freely and moving slightly.

Kelly Says

In grammar, 'dangling modifiers' are a huge pet peeve—when you write something like 'Walking into the room, the TV was on,' you've created a grammatical error where the modifier 'walking' doesn't actually apply to the TV, it's just dangling without a proper subject.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.