hanger

American  

[hang-er] / ˈhæŋ ər /

noun

• hangers
  plural

1. a shoulder-shaped frame with a hook at the top, usually of wire, wood, or plastic, for draping and hanging a garment when not in use.

2. a part of something by which it is hung, as a loop on a garment.

3. a contrivance on which things are hung, as a hook.

4. Automotive. a double-hinged device linking the chassis with the leaf springs on vehicles having solid axles.

5. a light saber of the 17th and 18th centuries, often worn by sailors.

6. a person who hangs something.

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hanger British  

/ ˈhæŋə /

noun

1. 1. any support, such as a hook, strap, peg, or loop, on or by which something may be hung

   2. See coat hanger

2. 1. a person who hangs something

   2. ( in combination )

      paperhanger

3. a bracket designed to attach one part of a mechanical structure to another, such as the one that attaches the spring shackle of a motor car to the chassis

4. a wood on a steep hillside, characteristically beech growing on chalk in southern England

5. 1. a loop or strap on a sword belt from which a short sword or dagger was hung

   2. the weapon itself

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hangers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hanger

1400–50; late Middle English hangere; see hang, -er ¹

Explanation

A device you use to hang something, like clothing, is a hanger. When your brother drops his jacket on the floor, you might remind him to put it on a hanger and hang it up in the closet. Clothes and coat hangers are common, often made from metal or wood that's bent into a triangular shape. Other hangers include picture hangers and plant hangers — really, anything from which you can hang something is a hanger. A person who does the hanging — hanging your new wallpaper, for example — is another kind of hanger. Be careful not to confuse these hangers with a hangar, which is a garage where airplanes are kept.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hanger hangers

The coat hanger became the symbol for legalization.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

Its included slimline coat hanger kept everything nice and tidy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025

Five were in a hanger, waiting for spare parts and servicing.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025

“When he left here last year he left it for us. We didn’t even know. It was on a hanger and he wrote a note, `You guys are the best. Love you guys.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2024

Papa took his worn blue coveralls off the coat hanger and pulled them over the work clothes he was wearing for his computer repair job; the coveralls looked like something an auto mechanic would wear.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Aircraft could be stored in hangers with doors that shut.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The Grade I listed bridge closed in October 2022 for four months when defects in the hangers were identified, with those repairs completed in 2024.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Candidates who win an endorsement benefit from the party’s voter outreach through media such as mailers, door hangers and other advertising.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026

But those hangers, he said, took up more space inside.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026

“Did you use the hangers? Gran pressed those mantles herself after the old iron did a poor job,” her mama said.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• blade
• dagger
• saber