hanger-on

American  

[hang-er-on, -awn] / ˈhæŋ ərˈɒn, -ˈɔn /

noun

hangers-on plural

1. a person who remains in a place or joins a group, another person, etc., especially in the hope or expectation of personal gain, even though their presence may be neither wanted nor needed.

   Synonyms:

   follower, sycophant, parasite, toady

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hanger-on British  

noun

1. a sycophantic follower or dependant, esp one hoping for personal gain

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hangers-on
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hanger-on

1540–50; noun use of verb phrase hang on; see -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hanger-on hangers-on

A decorative hanger-on, dependent on her rich friends and relatives, she is now 29 and still single when many more ordinary women in her rarefied New York circle have made successful matches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Most of his close friends work in music, including Kenny Beats, who composed Oliver’s songs for “Lurker,” and Zack Fox, who plays a hanger-on in the film and is a DJ in real life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025

In “The Bear,” Matty Matheson, the Canadian chef and restaurateur, plays the hanger-on and handyman Neil, his first scripted role.

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2023

Jamie saw himself as the fresh young star and Roy as the aging, hanger-on standing in his way.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2023

She was with that whole Zach Powers crew, and not as a hanger-on either.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

The last of them, these spent survivors, these hangers-on, had trudged to the Citrus Show to talk about the real problem, which was the disease.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

The way I see it, many Epstein hangers-on believed they were doing nothing wrong.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

No pop artist has ever survived haters, handlers and hangers-on without a scratch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

A political get together, a party conference for the politicians, members, and associated hangers-on, would never transform a prime minister's fortunes with the public overnight.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025

We followed on foot behind, relatives, friends, well-wishers and hangers-on.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya