hang out

British  

verb

1. to suspend, be suspended, or lean, esp from an opening, as for display or airing

   to hang out the washing

2. informal  (intr) to live at or frequent a place

   the police know where the thieves hang out

3. informal  to frequent the company (of someone)

4. slang  to relax completely in an unassuming way (esp in the phrase let it all hang out )

5. informal  (intr) to act or speak freely, in an open, cooperative, or indiscreet manner

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noun

1. informal  a place where one lives or that one frequently visits

hang out Idioms  

1. Protrude downward, as in The dog's tongue was hanging out , or The branches hung out over the driveway . [c. 1400]

2. Display a flag or sign of some kind, as in They hung out the flag on every holiday . [Mid-1500s]

3. Reside, live, as in I've found a place downtown, and I'll be hanging out there beginning next week . [c. 1800]

4. Spend one's free time in; also, loiter, pass time idly. For example, They hung out around the pool parlor , or They spent the evening just hanging out . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

5. hang out with . Keep company with, appear in public with, as in She's hanging out with her ex-boyfriend again . [ Slang ; second half of 1900s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with hang out ; let it all hang out .

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Example Sentences

I have two cats and I enjoy hanging out with them.

From Los Angeles Times

And in a new twist, the scientists discovered that a wild cat hung out for a while with people in China long before domestic cats came on the scene.

From BBC

For Gen Z and Gen Alpha users, Roblox is now as much for hanging out with friends as it is for gaming.

From Barron's

They hang out — George with a ukulele in his hands, noodling away — and talk old times.

From Los Angeles Times

Outcast Henry's life fails to improve when his family relocates to Hawkins, where he spends his free time hanging out with spiders in an attic.

From BBC