hanger

American  

[hang-er] / ˈhæŋ ər /

noun

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.

---

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

---

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

On the menu is uni pasta, hanger steak au poivre and a dry-aged burger with fries, which restaurant critic Bill Addison says doesn’t require any twists because “it’s simply a fantastic burger.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

From her closet, she grabbed a men’s brown leather jacket that she kept on a hanger.

From Slate • Nov. 15, 2025

Its included slimline coat hanger kept everything nice and tidy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

The competition began in a disused plane hanger in Cologne and games were streamed live on online platform Twitch.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2024

Bigwig returned to the hanger with the news that Kehaar had set out.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• blade
• dagger
• saber