Word.ws English Dictionary

dangler

Syllables: dan·glerUK/ˈdæŋɡləː/US/ˈdæŋɡlɚ/

dangler noun: a dangling modifier, especially a dangling participle.

Noun

dangler (plural danglers)

  1. (informal) A dangling modifier, especially a dangling participle.
    • Similarly, participles ending in “ing” often cause danglers in scientific writing: […]2014, Silvia M. Rogers, Mastering Scientific and Medical Writing: A Self-help Guide, page 43
  2. (slang) Any body part that dangles, such as the penis, testicles, uvula, and sometimes tongue.
    • "Why do I have to feed her? Why do I have to look after her? I'm a girl. Ort doesn't have to 'cause he's a boy, 'cause he's got a dangler and I haven't."
    • Stupid kitten! First he thought he was a fish, now he thinks he's a mole. The vet says it's because he's missing one of his danglers.2000 January 18, cormaic, “Wildlife Ponds”, in uk.rec.gardening (Usenet)
  3. A plotline that is metaphorically left to "dangle" or "hang"; in other words, the plotline is forgotten, phased out and eventually dropped, and thus a resolution is never achieved.
  4. (informal) A large earring that hangs down far.
    • Long hair piled high on top of the head or cut to a short, curvy crop, needs the balance provided by large, dramatic earrings. Those with tresses frizzed into Pre-Raphaelite waves will like the look of huge hoops or ethnic danglers in wood […]1985, Susi Rogol, Create a Look with Jewelry, page 22
  5. (archaic) One who dangles about (loiters around) others, especially a man chasing after women.
    • ‘You see,’ she cried, ‘what a Herd of Danglers flutter around you […].’1770, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin 2001, 10 January
    • Such once was I, a dangler to the fair; / Still, as a glass, I praise their dress, their air […]1783, Samuel Hoole, Aurelia; Or, the Contest

Proper noun capitalized: Dangler

Dangler (plural Danglers)

  1. A surname.

Forms of dangler

Noun
pluraldanglers
Proper noun
pluralDanglers

Origin of dangler

From dangle + -er.

Words that rhyme with dangler

Questions about dangler

What does dangler mean?
Dangler means a dangling modifier, especially a dangling participle.
What part of speech is dangler?
Dangler can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce dangler?
Dangler is pronounced /ˈdæŋɡləː/ (UK).
What is the plural of dangler?
The plural of dangler is danglers.

Words near dangler in the dictionary

  1. dangleberry
  2. dangled
  3. dangled after
  4. dangled the Dunlops
  5. danglement
  6. dangler
  7. danglers
  8. dangles
  9. dangles after
  10. dangles the Dunlops
  11. dangleway

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: dangler (page history and authors); Dangler (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “dangler.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dangler. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.