hangout
Americannoun
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hangouts
plural
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a place where people gather for casual socializing or recreation.
The pub is an ultracasual hangout, mostly frequented by undergraduates from the local university.
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a place that a person frequently visits, especially for socializing or recreation.
The record store was one of my favorite neighborhood hangouts when I was a kid.
verb phrase
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to lean or be suspended through an opening.
If you hang out the window that far, you're likely to fall right out!
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to suspend in open view; display.
Her family hangs out the flag every day, not just on holidays.
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Informal. to frequent a particular place, especially in one's free time.
We’ve all got friends who would rather hang out at a bookstore with a glass of wine than go clubbing.
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Informal. to linger or loiter somewhere.
We’ve got nothing better to do, so we’ll probably just hang out.
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Informal. to spend time with someone.
I’d love the chance to hang out with some like-minded folks.
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Informal. to wait, especially briefly.
Hang out a minute while I get my backpack.
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Slang. to calm down.
Hang out, Mom, I'm OK.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hangout
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; noun use of verb phrase hang out
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:
Don’t forget to check out Season 2 of the very funny Gen-Z hangout comedy “Adults,” which dropped at the end of August.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
“This is not so much a music festival, it’s a huge hangout of people that love a similar culture,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
He was a regular at the former sea lion hangout just south of the Golden Gate known as Seal Rocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
How did a venue once considered a "dropout's hangout" become snooker's ultimate stage?
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
Cronies of theirs in other squadrons began dropping in unashamedly and using the tent as a hangout.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
All that promise started to wither around 2015, as social media giants gobbled up more and more of the profits that kept earlier hangouts afloat.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The opener, “Rockin’ Shopping Center,” is an ode to sterile suburban hangouts and it’s loaded with early rock ’n’ roll touches—twangy guitars, a strong backbeat and a meaty bassline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The hegemony of claw machines has also gone hand in hand with a gradual transformation of urban hangouts.
From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025
And from 18 November, under-13s will also be barred from accessing "social hangouts", which are online spaces where players can talk to each other by text and voice.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2024
The Pirate’s Den is one of the more popular hangouts down here.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
