(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.
Norman Ten Hundred went out again to hang-on or fall, to uphold the traditions dearly bought by those who had gone over the Divide a few months before.
From Norman Ten Hundred A Record of the 1st (Service) Bn. Royal Guernsey Light Infantry by Blicq, A. Stanley
Ever after it was "Uncle Isaac" or "that old hang-on," but always with a lifting of the chin in pride.
From Tides of Barnegat by Smith, Francis Hopkinson
"Dere's nodding like hang-on at der critical minute."
From No title by
Well, you've got the hang-on, and that's what an officer-seeker needs.
From The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories by Dunbar, Paul Laurence
Says it's nothin' but just grit and hang-on that keeps him alive.
From Fair Harbor by Lincoln, Joseph Crosby
Everyone will hang on the words of Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, a man who has made a public point of saying as little as possible.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Zlatan, Alexi, Thierry and Rebecca did their best to hang on, but the show eventually yielded to a replay of the U.S. victory over Australia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
He said he would hang on until next week to cut his wheat, for fear the combine harvester would spark a fire in the parched crop.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
In the family living room, Wilber’s cap and gown hang on the wall next to a Virgin Mary altar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
And as Pétain had ordered, French troops fought to hang on to every yard of territory and counterattacked to regain ground that had been lost.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
