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]
-
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.
Colorado economist Gary Horvath said questions surrounding the state’s business climate could continue to hang over the economy, regardless of what happens to the AI bill.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Housing cost concerns, intensified by the war in Iran, hang over the typically busy spring buying season.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
But a dark pall seemed to hang over this space.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
City Councilman Curren Price can move forward to trial, ensuring the misconduct scandal will hang over the veteran politician’s final year in office.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026
A curse seemed to hang over the family, making men sin in spite of themselves and bringing suffering and death down upon the innocent as well as the guilty.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
