hang out
Britishverb
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to suspend, be suspended, or lean, esp from an opening, as for display or airing
to hang out the washing
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informal (intr) to live at or frequent a place
the police know where the thieves hang out
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informal to frequent the company (of someone)
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slang to relax completely in an unassuming way (esp in the phrase let it all hang out )
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informal (intr) to act or speak freely, in an open, cooperative, or indiscreet manner
noun
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Protrude downward, as in The dog's tongue was hanging out , or The branches hung out over the driveway . [c. 1400]
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Display a flag or sign of some kind, as in They hung out the flag on every holiday . [Mid-1500s]
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Reside, live, as in I've found a place downtown, and I'll be hanging out there beginning next week . [c. 1800]
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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]
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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 .
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.
Lastly, he said a hello to Matthew McConaughey, and quoted his Cuban tía, who told him if he works very hard, he can hang out with “Matthew McCon-i-purse.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
"All the adopted children were brought together to hang out and bond and have dinner."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Eyelid lifts were one of the top five cosmetic surgeries last year; if you hang out in a certain corner of Instagram, you might not be able to escape the term bleph, short for blepharoplasty.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
Sometimes the managers who have your back, more than the ones who are fun to hang out with, are the coolest bosses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“You’re not going to believe this,” I say to Ollie, “but Hoku wants to hang out next weekend.”
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
