(adverb) to continue or persist in an activity, esp with effort or difficulty
hang on at your present job until you can get another
(adverb) to cling, grasp, or hold
she hangs on to her mother's arm
(preposition) to be conditioned or contingent on; depend on
everything hangs on this business deal
Also: hang onto. hang upon. (preposition) to listen attentively to
she hung on his every word
informal (adverb) to wait or remain
hang on for a few minutes
hang on to . Cling tightly to something, retain, as in Hang on to those papers before they blow away . [Mid-1800s] Also see hang on to your hat .
Continue persistently, persevere, as in This cough is hanging on much longer than I expected , or He was hanging on, hoping business would improve when interest rates went down . This usage was sometimes embellished to , meaning “to persist at any cost.” [Second half of 1800s]
Keep a telephone connection open, as in Please hang on, I'll see if he's in . [First half of 1900s]
Wait for a short time, be patient, as in Hang on, I'm getting it as fast as I can . [First half of 1900s]
Depend on, as in Our plans hang on their decision about the new park . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1900s]
Blame on, as in They'll try to hang that robbery on the same gang, but I don't think they'll succeed . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]
hang one on . Get very drunk, as in Come on, let's go and hang one on . [ Slang ; mid-1900s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with hang on .
Noun, adj. use of verb phrase hang on
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But now she's making repayments and thinking, "hang on a minute, this isn't the price of a coffee".
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Ganesha 2, Linfield Christian 1: After seven innings of scoreless ball, Ganesha scored two runs in the eighth to hang on for the victory on a Logan Schmidt two-run home run.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
Additional fresheners, car mats and other supplies hang on the wall behind him.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
That bravado may well not be matched by the result, but they are strongly expected to hang on as the biggest party.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
“Bye, Pooperman,” she says, but she doesn’t cry or hang on my leg or beg me to stay, which hurts a little bit.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
