hanging

[hang-ing]

noun

1. the act, an instance, or the form of capital punishment carried out by suspending one by the neck from a gallows, gibbet, or the like, until dead.

2. Often hangings. something that hangs or is hung on the walls of a room, as a drapery or tapestry.

3. a suspending or temporary attaching, as of a painting.

   a careless hanging of pictures.

adjective

1. punishable by, deserving, or causing death by hanging.

   a hanging crime; a hanging offense.

2. inclined to inflict death by hanging.

   a hanging jury.

3. suspended; pendent; overhanging.

   a hanging cliff.

4. situated on a steep slope or at a height.

   a hanging garden.

5. directed downward.

   a hanging look.

6. made, holding, or suitable for a hanging object.

hanging

/ ˈhæŋɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the putting of a person to death by suspending the body by the neck from a noose

   2. ( as modifier )

      a hanging offence

2. (often plural) a decorative textile such as a tapestry or drapery hung on a wall or over a window

3. the act of a person or thing that hangs

adjective

1. not supported from below; suspended

2. undecided; still under discussion

3. inclining or projecting downwards; overhanging

4. situated on a steep slope or in a high place

5. (prenominal) given to issuing harsh sentences, esp death sentences

   a hanging judge

6. informal,  unpleasant

7. chess See hanging pawn

Other Word Forms

• hangingly adverb
• unhanging adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hanging¹

1250–1300; Middle English (noun, adj.), Old English hangande (adj.) See hang, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

That, with apologies to falling trees in deserted forests, is the question hanging over Britain’s Conservative Party this week.

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That’s a far cry from earlier in his career when he thrived by hanging onto the ball and creating big plays out of nowhere.

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After dropping Game 1 in their best-of-three set against the Red Sox, their World Series aspirations were left hanging by a thread before the calendar even turned to October.

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Aaron Judge understood that as he dug into the batter’s box in the fourth inning on Tuesday night, with the fate of the 2025 New York Yankees hanging perilously in the balance.

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There is no tree on stage: When they discuss, with deadpan practicality, the possibility of hanging themselves, they peer into the audience.

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