hang over
Idioms-
Remain suspended or unsettled, as in They plan to let the vote hang over until the next session . This usage alludes to something suspended or floating in the air. [c. 1200]
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Also, hang over one's head . Threaten or be imminent, as in I've got that test hanging over me , or A stiff fine is hanging over his head . [Mid-1500s] Also see hang by a thread .
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.
A pair of embarrassing videos continue to hang over her campaign.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
Housing cost concerns, intensified by the war in Iran, hang over the typically busy spring buying season.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
In one corner, Biles and Owens have added a potted plant to inject some greenery into the room, while floor-to-ceiling curtains hang over the sliding walls of glass.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026
The economist said that following a cut in spring, a second in summer is likely, though downside risks hang over a third cut this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
The second-largest rain forest in the world, wildlife everyone else gets to see only in the alphabet animals that hang over children’s cribs.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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.
