hang-on

[ hang-on, -awn ]

/ ˈhæŋˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

Informal.

Save This Word!

noun

something easily attached to or mounted on another surface or object, as a turbocharger or transceiver in an automobile, a unit suspendable from shelving, or a portable soap dish.

adjective

pertaining to or denoting such an attachment: A clumsy hang-on unit supplied the air conditioning.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hang-on

Noun, adj. use of verb phrase hang on

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for hang-on

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was a brick wall that we turned into the on-ramp of a highway.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Could the (thus far) timid trembling give way to a full-on, grand mal seizure?
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It'll be beastly dull for her at The Warren, you see, poor girl; and she doesn't seem to jump at Spunyarn, though he does hang on.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Perhaps you will understand now that you ought to have asked my business ere you proposed to hang me off hand.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
These form one of the many island groups that hang like a fringe or festoon on the skirt of the continent of Asia.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
I drew back from the rim of Writing-On-the-Stone, that set of whispered phrases echoing in my ears.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The chair rests upon two long poles, which hang by straps upon the shoulders of four stout men.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike

British Dictionary definitions for hang-on

hang on

verb (intr)

(adverb) to continue or persist in an activity, esp with effort or difficultyhang on at your present job until you can get another

(adverb) to cling, grasp, or holdshe hangs on to her mother's arm

(preposition) to be conditioned or contingent on; depend oneverything hangs on this business deal

Also: hang onto, hang upon (preposition) to listen attentively toshe hung on his every word

(adverb) informal to wait or remainhang on for a few minutes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with hang-on

hang on

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 hang on by one's eyelashes or eyebrows or eyelids, 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.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY