hang
Americanverb (used with object)
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to fasten or attach (a thing) so that it is supported only from above or at a point near its own top; suspend.
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to attach or suspend so as to allow free movement.
to hang a pendulum.
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to place in position or fasten so as to allow easy or ready movement.
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to put to death by suspending by the neck from a gallows, gibbet, yardarm, or the like.
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to suspend (oneself) by the neck until dead.
He hanged himself from a beam in the attic.
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to fasten to a cross; crucify.
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to furnish or decorate with something suspended.
to hang a room with pictures.
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to fasten into position; fix at a proper angle.
to hang a scythe.
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to fasten or attach (wallpaper, pictures, etc.) to a wall.
to hang pictures in a room.
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to suspend (something) in front of anything.
to hang curtains on a window.
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Fine Arts.
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to exhibit (a painting or group of paintings).
The gallery hung his paintings in a small corner.
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to put the paintings of (an art exhibition) on the wall of a gallery.
They hung the show that morning.
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to attach or annex as an addition.
to hang a rider on a bill.
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to attach (a door or the like) to its frame by means of hinges.
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to allow to droop.
He hung his head in shame.
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to make (an idea, form, etc.) dependent on a situation, structure, concept, or the like, usually derived from another source.
He hung the meaning of his puns on the current political scene.
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(of a juror) to keep (a jury) from rendering a verdict by refusing to agree with the others.
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Digital Technology. freeze.
If a critical error hangs your operating system, you will need to reboot the computer.
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Informal. to cause (a nickname, epithet, etc.) to become associated with a person.
Friends hung that nickname on him.
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Slang. to hit with (a fist, blow, punch, etc.).
He hung a left on his opponent's jaw.
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Baseball. to throw (a pitch) so that it fails to break, as a curve.
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Nautical. to steady (a boat) in one place against a wind or current by thrusting a pole or the like into the bottom under the boat and allowing the wind or current to push the boat side-on against the pole.
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(used in mild curses and emphatic expressions, often as a euphemism fordamn ).
I'll be hanged if I do. Hang it all!
verb (used without object)
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to be suspended; dangle.
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to swing freely, as on a hinge.
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to incline downward, jut out, or lean over or forward.
The tree hung over the edge of the lake.
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to be suspended by the neck, as from a gallows, and suffer death in this way.
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to be crucified.
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to droop or sag.
After the drastic weight loss, his skin seemed to hang from his frame.
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to fit or drape in graceful lines.
That coat hangs well in back.
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to be conditioned or contingent; be dependent.
His future hangs on the outcome of their discussion.
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to be doubtful or undecided; waver or hesitate.
He hung between staying and going.
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to remain unfinished or undecided; be delayed.
Let that matter hang until our next meeting.
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to linger, remain, or persist.
He hung by her side, unwilling to leave.
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to float or hover in the air.
Fog hung over the city.
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to be oppressive, burdensome, or tedious.
guilt that hangs on one's conscience.
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to remain in attention or consideration (often followed by on orupon ).
They hung on his every word.
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Digital Technology. freeze.
That program hangs during launch, so I’ve never been able to use it.
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Fine Arts.
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to be exhibited.
His works hang in most major museums.
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to have one's works on display.
Rembrandt hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Informal. to spend time somewhere or with someone; hang out.
noun
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the way in which a thing hangs.
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Informal. the precise manner of doing, using, etc., something; knack.
to get the hang of a tool.
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Informal. meaning or thought.
to get the hang of a subject.
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Digital Technology. freeze.
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Nautical.
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loss of way due to adverse wind or current.
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a rake, as of a mast.
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the least degree of care, concern, etc. (used in mild curses and emphatic expressions as a euphemism fordamn ).
He doesn't give a hang about those things.
verb phrase
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hang on
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to hold fast; cling to.
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to continue with effort; persevere.
If you can hang on for a month longer, you will be eligible for the bonus.
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to be sustained to the point of danger, tedium, etc..
coughs that hang on for months.
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to keep a telephone line open.
Hang on, I'll see if she's here.
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to wait briefly; keep calm.
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hang around / about
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to spend time in a certain place or in certain company.
He hangs around with an older crowd.
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to linger about; loiter.
They had stopped working and were just hanging around to talk.
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hang in to persevere: Also hang in there
She has managed to hang in despite years of bad luck.
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hang back
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to be reluctant to proceed or move forward.
The older pupils went straight to the podium, but the younger ones hung back out of shyness.
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to refrain from taking action; hesitate.
A forward pass would have been the best call, but the quarterback hung back because his last pass had been intercepted.
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hang over
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to remain to be settled; be postponed.
They will probably let the final decision hang over until next year.
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to be imminent or foreboding; threaten.
Economic ruin hangs over the town.
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hang up
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to suspend by placing on a hook, peg, or hanger.
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to cause or encounter delay; suspend or slow the progress of.
The accident hung up the traffic for several hours.
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to break a telephone connection, as by replacing the receiver on the hook.
She received an anonymous call, but the party hung up when she threatened to call the police.
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to cause a hang-up or hang-ups in.
The experience hung her up for years.
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hang out. see hangout.
idioms
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hang a left / right, to make a left (or right) turn, as while driving an automobile.
Hang a right at the next corner.
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hang ten, to ride a surfboard with the weight of the body as far forward as possible and the toes of both feet curled over the front edge of the surfboard.
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hang it up, to quit, resign, give up, etc..
The chief engineer is hanging it up after 40 years with the company.
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hang one on,
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to hit.
He hung one on the bully and knocked him down.
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to become extremely drunk.
Every payday he hangs one on.
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hang tight. see hang tight.
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let it all hang out,
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to be completely candid in expressing one's feelings, opinions, etc..
She's never been one to let it all hang out.
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to act or live without restraint or inhibitions.
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hang in the balance, to be in a precarious state or condition.
The wounded man's life hung in the balance.
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hang loose, to remain relaxed or calm.
Try to hang loose and don't let it bother you.
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hang five, to ride a surfboard with the weight of the body forward and the toes of the forward foot curled over the front edge of the surfboard.
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hang one's head. head.
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hang together,
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to be loyal to one another; remain united.
“We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
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to cohere.
This pancake batter doesn't hang together.
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to be logical or consistent.
His version of the story does not hang together.
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hang tough, to remain unyielding, stubborn, or inflexible.
He's hanging tough and won't change his mind.
verb
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to fasten or be fastened from above, esp by a cord, chain, etc; suspend
the picture hung on the wall
to hang laundry
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to place or be placed in position as by a hinge so as to allow free movement around or at the place of suspension
to hang a door
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to be suspended or poised; hover
a pall of smoke hung over the city
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to be imminent; threaten
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(intr) to be or remain doubtful or unresolved (esp in the phrase hang in the balance )
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(past tense and past participle hanged) to suspend or be suspended by the neck until dead
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(tr) to fasten, fix, or attach in position or at an appropriate angle
to hang a scythe to its handle
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(tr) to decorate, furnish, or cover with something suspended or fastened
to hang a wall with tapestry
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(tr) to fasten to or suspend from a wall
to hang wallpaper
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to exhibit (a picture or pictures) by (a particular painter, printmaker, etc) or (of a picture or a painter, etc) to be exhibited in an art gallery, etc
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to fall or droop or allow to fall or droop
to hang one's head in shame
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(of cloth, clothing, etc) to drape, fall, or flow, esp in a specified manner
her skirt hangs well
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(tr) to suspend (game such as pheasant) so that it becomes slightly decomposed and therefore more tender and tasty
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(of a jury) to prevent or be prevented from reaching a verdict
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slang (past tense and past participle hanged) to damn or be damned: used in mild curses or interjections
I'll be hanged before I'll go out in that storm
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(intr) to pass slowly (esp in the phrase time hangs heavily )
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to be delayed
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to procrastinate See also fire
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See tough
noun
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the way in which something hangs
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slang (usually used with a negative) a damn
I don't care a hang for what you say
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informal
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to understand the technique of doing something
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to perceive the meaning or significance of
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Usage
Hang has two forms for the past tense and past participle, hanged and hung. The historically older form hanged is now used exclusively in the sense of causing or putting to death: His friends were hanged by a lynch mob. He was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead. In the sense of legal execution, hung is also quite common and is standard in all types of speech and writing except in legal documents. When legal execution is not meant, hung has become the more frequent form: The prisoner hung himself in his cell.
Synonym Usage
Hang, lynch have in common the meaning of “to put to death,” but lynching is not always by hanging. Hang, in the sense of execute, is in accordance with a legal sentence, the method of execution being to suspend by the neck until dead. To lynch, however, implies the summary putting to death, by any method, of someone charged with a flagrant offense, especially when guilt is presumed rather than proven. Lynching is done by private persons, usually a mob, without legal authority.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hang
First recorded before 900; fusion of three verbs: (1) Middle English hon, Old English hōn “to hang” (transitive), cognate with Gothic hāhan; (2) Middle English hang(i)en, Old English hangian “to hang” (intransitive), cognate with German hangen (intransitive); (3) Middle English henge (transitive), from Old Norse hengja (transitive), cognate with German hängen “to hang” (transitive)
Explanation
When you hang something, you dangle or suspend it. You can hang a piñata from a tree, hang a picture on the wall, or hang a wind chime on your porch. People hang all kinds of things: washing on a clothesline, a rope swing over a lake, or a shower curtain in the bathroom. An artist also hangs an art show — meaning she installs it in a gallery or museum, and maybe literally hangs paintings on the wall. If your mouth hangs open, it gapes, and when fog hangs in the air, it rests there, suspended. Informally, you can "get the hang" of something, or figure it out through practice.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A flamingo windchime and a decorative piece of art from Guadalajara, Mexico hang in front of the entrance of the home of Flamingo Garden Mobile Home Park resident Mariano Silverio Mendoza in Carson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
"Now you hang up and you're straight on to the next call," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
"If we hang back and stand still this will just run right over the top of us," he said in the speech at the University of Sydney.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
One pictures McConnell’s aides staring at the hospital clock, counting the seconds until 20 minutes have passed, and being pleased to inform the senator that he can hang up.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be invited at all this year or if she was just going to hang out with her new friends.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
It reminds me of the old joke about the guy in the Wild West who, before he was hanged for horse stealing, said “This will be a real lesson to me,” mournfully, from the scaffold.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
Again the reigning successor to George III will be obliged to say nice words about the men his ancestor would gladly have hanged from the nearest tree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
Historical accounts regarding what happened next are murky — some say he was hanged; others suggest he accepted a subsequent pardon from President Martin Van Buren.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2025
Prof Mark Stoyle, a historian at the University of Southampton, believes a spelling error by a court official meant the accused woman was not hanged, but instead lived for several years.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024
André refused, for he was well aware that if he disguised himself, he could be hanged as a spy; if he was captured in uniform, he would live as a prisoner of war.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
The “charcoal forest room” includes hanging bags of dried mugwort from Korea that smell similar to rosemary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Given the sophistication of contemporary TV coverage, “it’s almost preferable to stay home and watch your favorite games on the big screen hanging on your den wall,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
For Hassan Oulghazzi, the fire first appeared as a dark cloud hanging over his home.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
"Almost everywhere else in Britain it's dying out and yet here we seem to be hanging on and doing very well. It's very positive," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
A watch, repaired and ready, hanging on its hook in the back of the shop, month after month.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"He was crying," she told the jury, "he had his head hung low in his hands."
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
An air of mystery has hung over the speech since Trump announced it on Monday, with the White House declining to give any details at all on what the 80-year-old might say.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
According to reports, five Kahlo paintings hung in Natasha’s bedroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
His friends hired a private investigator and hung fliers begging him to come back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Plus, her sister, who she probably at least hung out with, was gone and everything.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
