overhang

American  

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

verb (used with object)

overhung, overhanging

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)

overhung, overhanging

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

   How far does the balcony overhang?

noun

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

Etymology

Origin of overhang

First recorded in 1590–1600; over- + hang

Example Sentences

“A stock overhang could persist as these matters are resolved in coming years,” Blackledge added.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

“The market may be beginning to price in a more favorable cost/supply backdrop for OEMs, as any stabilization in memory pricing and supply would reduce a key overhang on hardware profitability,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

That removes a significant legal overhang for Hims, but the partnership could be a near-term hit to its business, say Truist analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Such sentiment will “continue to be an overhang for the sector … whilst AI models continue advancing,” the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

But it was gone soon and he kept working until the entire front of the overhang was covered save for a small opening at the right end, nearest the lake.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen