hang tight

American

[hang tahyt] / ˈhæŋ ˈtaɪt /

idiom

Informal.

to wait for something to happen, often with some tension or anxiety.

Just hang tight and give me a moment to figure this out.
Her court date's not till next week, so there's not much I can say to her except hang tight and try not to get in any more fights.

Etymology

Origin of hang tight

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

See Examples For:

hang tight

So hang tight, and enjoy the frustrating suspense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

“What we’re really recommending is everybody hang tight and let us get the snowfall, and then after that we can get out.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2023

Some workers may hang tight where they are because they worry that, if a recession arrives, new hires will be the first to be shown the door.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2022

I encourage everyone to hang tight because there are many things coming at our heroes in season two and it feels a touch disorienting.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2022

“Quiz tomorrow on identifying subatomic particles. Just hang tight until it’s time to go.”

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023