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 hang a garment when not in use.

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

3. a contrivance on which things are hung, 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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Etymology

Origin of hanger

1400–50; late Middle English hangere; 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

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

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

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025

Instead of filet mignon, he’s serving hanger steaks.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2024

The hanger might have little or no undergrowth but at least the branches gave cover from the sky: and kestrels, they soon realized, were common in this solitude.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• blade
• dagger
• saber