overhang

American  

[oh-ver-hang, oh-ver-hang] / ˌoʊ vərˈhæŋ, ˈoʊ vərˌhæŋ /

verb (used with object)

overhangs, present (3rd person singular) overhung, past participle, past overhanging present participle

1. to hang or be suspended over.

   A great chandelier overhung the ballroom.

2. to extend, project, or jut over.

   A wide balcony overhangs the garden.

3. to impend over or threaten, as danger or evil; loom over.

   The threat of war overhung Europe.

4. to spread throughout; permeate; pervade.

   the melancholy that overhung the proceedings.

5. Informal. to hover over, as a threat or menace.

   Unemployment continues to overhang the economic recovery.

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verb (used without object)

overhangs, present (3rd person singular) overhung, past participle, past overhanging present participle

1. to hang over; project or jut out over something below.

   How far does the balcony overhang?

noun

overhangs plural

1. something that extends or juts out over; projection.

2. the extent of projection, as of the bow of a ship.

3. Informal. an excess or surplus.

   an overhang of office space in midtown.

4. a threat or menace.

   to face the overhang of foreign reprisals.

5. Architecture. a projecting upper part of a building, as a roof or balcony.

overhang British  

verb

1. to project or extend beyond (a surface, building, etc)

2. (tr) to hang or be suspended over

3. (tr) to menace, threaten, or dominate

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noun

1. a formation, object, part of a structure, etc, that extends beyond or hangs over something, such as an outcrop of rock overhanging a mountain face

2. the amount or extent of projection

3. aeronautics

   1. half the difference in span of the main supporting surfaces of a biplane or other multiplane

   2. the distance from the outer supporting strut of a wing to the wing tip

4. finance the shares, collectively, that the underwriters have to buy when a new issue has not been fully taken up by the market

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• overhangs
  plural

Participles

• overhanging
  present
• overhung
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• overhang
  simple
• overhangs
  simple
• have overhung
  perfect
• has overhung
  perfect
• am overhanging
  progressive
• are overhanging
  progressive
• is overhanging
  progressive
• have been overhanging
  perfect progressive
• has been overhanging
  perfect progressive

Past

• overhung
  simple
• had overhung
  perfect
• was overhanging
  progressive
• were overhanging
  progressive
• had been overhanging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will overhang
  simple
• will have overhung
  perfect
• will be overhanging
  progressive
• will have been overhanging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of overhang

First recorded in 1590–1600; over- + hang

Example Sentences

Otherwise, the overhang could be lifted if SpaceX signs a direct-to-consumer deal with Verizon or AT&T, which McHugh said could signal a “détente” in tensions.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026

BNP Paribas analyst Sam McHugh said in a note on Wednesday that the SpaceX-driven overhang on wireless stocks “may well persist” until next year, when the U.S. auctions off upper C-Band spectrum.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026

Companies over the past six years have grappled with waves of supply-chain disruptions triggered by the pandemic, from port backlogs and product shortages to an overhang of excess inventory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

This allows Western Digital to take down the convert overhang and reduce gross debt while limiting the cash outlay and managing incremental dilution, according to the analysts.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

I made it to my hidden place, where the roofs of two buildings met underneath the overhang of a third.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss