Hang — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈhaŋ/

Meaning & Definition of Hang

Hang (verb)

  1. to fasten to some elevated point without support from below, suspend
  2. to suspend by the neck until dead —often hanged in the past tense—often used as a mild oath
  3. to fasten so as to allow free motion within given limits upon a point of suspension

Hang (noun)

  1. the manner in which a thing is poised when suspended from above without support from below, the way in which a thing hangs
  2. declivity, slope; also, droop
  3. facility with or an understanding of something

Hang (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to place on an elevated point without support from below

    "hang your coats on the coat rack in the hall"

    similar: dangle, sling, suspend, swing
    related: hook, mount, pin, tack, drape, festoon, garland, string, extend (out), jut, project, stick out, overhang, protrude, cascade, depend, fall, balance, poise

  2. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "our plan to go to the amusement park has all been worked out; now it just hangs on the weather"

    similar: depend, hinge, ride, turn
    related: base, establish, found, rest, stay, ground

  3. to be limp from lack of water or vigor

    "as they neared the end of the long, hard march all but the most hardy were hanging, and some could barely put one foot in front of the other"

    similar: droop, flag, loll, sag, swag, wilt
    related: slouch, slump, cave (in), collapse, crumple, drop, fall, sink, subside, yield
    near: distend, stiffen, rise, straighten, unbend, uncurl

  4. to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

    "hanging just above the horizon was a little pink cloud"

    similar: drift, float, glide, hover, poise, ride, sail, swim, waft
    related: bob, dangle, suspend, buoy, balloon, raft
    opposite: settle, sink
    near: dive, lunge, plunge, dip, immerse, submerge, submerse

  5. to find a basis

    "that's very slim evidence upon which to hang a theory"

    similar: base, ground, predicate, rest
    related: establish, found, assume, postulate, premise, presume, presuppose, suppose

Hang (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a downward slope

    "proceeded carefully on snowshoes down the steep hang"

    similar: declension, decline, declivity, descent, dip, downgrade, downhill, fall, hanging
    related: basin, depression, hollow
    opposite: acclivity, ascent, rise, upgrade, uphill, uprise
    near: glacis, grade, gradient, hill, inclination, incline, lean, pitch, rake, tilt

  2. the extent to which something hangs or dips below a straight line

    "there's too much hang in the bunting on the parade float—nothing should be touching the ground"

    similar: droop, sag, slack, slackness
    related: floppiness, laxity, laxness, limpness, looseness
    near: rigidity, rigidness, tautness, tenseness, tension, tightness

Related Entry: Hang (around or out) (verb)

Hang (around or out) is a different word from Hang. The synonyms below are for hang (around or out), not for hang.

  1. to come or be together as friends

    "she still hangs around with her college roommate"

    similar: associate, chum, company, consociate, consort, fraternize, hobnob, hook up, mess around, pal (around), run, sort, travel, be friends with, fall in with, keep company (with), rub elbows (with), take up with
    related: affiliate, ally, attach, band, bond, club, collaborate, collude, confederate, conjoin, connect, cooperate, couple, gang, get along, get on, group, interrelate, join, knot, league, link, mingle, mix, rally, relate, side, socialize, team, tie, wed, befriend, friend
    near: avoid, cold-shoulder, shun, snub, alienate, estrange, break up, disband, disperse, split (up), disjoin, dissociate, disunite, divorce, sever, split, sunder

  2. to spend time doing nothing

    "for my vacation I plan to rent a beach house and just hang out"

    similar: bum, chill, dally, dawdle, dillydally, drone, footle, goof (off), hack (around), hang about (British), idle, kick around, kick back, laze, lazy, loaf, loll, lounge, veg out, kill time, twiddle one's thumbs
    related: fiddle (around), fool, mess, monkey, muck, piddle, play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, doze, estivate, hibernate, lag, linger, loiter, poke, relax, rest, tarry, amble, mosey, saunter, stroll, swan, furlough, goldbrick, malinger, truant
    near: drudge, grind, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg, plod, plow, plug, slave, sweat, toil, travail, work, apply, buckle (down), exert, put out

Related Entry: Hang (at) (verb)

Hang (at) is a different word from Hang. The synonyms below are for hang (at), not for hang.

  1. to go to or spend time in often

    "most summer afternoons, we'd hang at the municipal pool for a few hours"

    similar: affect, frequent, habituate, haunt, resort (to), visit
    related: patronize, attend, take in, infest, invade, overrun, swarm, call (on or upon), drop by, drop in, pop (in), run (in), stop (by or in), camp (out in), sojourn (at), stay (at), stop (over), tarry (in)
    opposite: avoid, shun
    near: dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, shake

Related Entry: Hang (over) (verb)

Hang (over) is a different word from Hang. The synonyms below are for hang (over), not for hang.

  1. to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on

    "as long as the possibility of having to move again was hanging over them, the family couldn't really settle in"

    similar: hover (over), impend (over), menace, overhang, threaten
    related: endanger, hazard, imperil, jeopardize, peril

Related Entry: Hang about (verb)

Hang about is a different word from Hang. The synonyms below are for hang about, not for hang.

  1. to spend time doing nothing

    "a tea house near campus where many university students could be seen hanging about"

    similar: bum, chill, dally, dawdle, dillydally, drone, footle, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, kick around, kick back, laze, lazy, loaf, loll, lounge, veg out, kill time, twiddle one's thumbs
    related: fiddle (around), fool, mess, monkey, muck, piddle, play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, doze, estivate, hibernate, lag, linger, loiter, poke, relax, rest, tarry, amble, mosey, saunter, stroll, swan, furlough, goldbrick, malinger, truant
    near: drudge, grind, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg, plod, plow, plug, slave, sweat, toil, travail, work, apply, buckle (down), exert, put out

  2. to spend time in aimless activity

    "we'll be hanging about at the pub if you need us"

    similar: doodle, fiddle (around), fool around, fribble, goof (around), kick around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle
    related: dally, dawdle, dillydally, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, clown (around), horse around, diddle (with), tinker
    near: buckle (down), knuckle down, set (to), settle (down)

Related Entry: Hang around (verb)

Hang around is a different word from Hang. The synonyms below are for hang around, not for hang.

  1. to continue to be in a place for a significant amount of time

    "if you hang around until my husband gets home, you can meet him"

    similar: abide, dwell, remain, stay, stick around, tarry
    related: await, hang on, hold on, wait, dally, dawdle, linger, loiter, outstay, overstay
    opposite: bail, bail out, bug out, buzz (off), clear off (chiefly British), clear out, cut out, depart, exit, get off, go, go off, leave, move, pack (up or off), peel off, pike (out or off), pull out, push off, push on, quit, shove (off), take off, vamoose, walk out
    near: abscond, book (slang), decamp, escape, evacuate, flee, fly, get out, run away, scat, scram, skip, abandon, desert, forsake, vacate

Related Entry: Hang back (verb)

Hang back is a different word from Hang. The synonyms below are for hang back, not for hang.

  1. to show uncertainty about the right course of action

    "she hung back in offering her opinion about her daughter's career choices because it wasn't her business"

    similar: balance, dither, falter, halt, hesitate, scruple, shilly-shally, stagger, teeter, vacillate, waver, wobble
    related: haw, hem, dally, dawdle, delay, linger, pause, procrastinate, wait, back down, chicken (out), consider, debate, deliberate, ponder, weigh, oscillate, sway, equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, waffle
    opposite: dive (in), plunge (in)
    near: decide, budge, stir, advance, continue

Related Entry: Hang-up (noun)

Hang-up is a different word from Hang. The synonyms below are for hang-up, not for hang.

  1. a source of persistent emotional distress

    "low self-esteem is only one of his many hang-ups"

    similar: affliction, demon, terror, torment
    related: bête noire, bogey, bugaboo, bugbear, hobgoblin, ogre

Related Entry: Hang fire (phrase)

Hang fire is a different word from Hang. The synonyms below are for hang fire, not for hang.

  1. to move or act slowly

    "He asked his team to hang fire until he was ready."

    similar: crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry, drag one's feet, drop behind, fall behind, mark time, take one's time
    related: fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up), filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
    opposite: barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz, zip
    near: bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede, gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot, accelerate, quicken, speed (up), catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hang

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hang:

dangle, sling, suspend, swing, depend, hinge, ride, turn, droop, flag, loll, sag, swag, wilt, drift, float, glide, hover, poise, sail, swim, waft, base, ground, predicate, rest, declension, decline, declivity, descent, dip, downgrade, downhill, fall, hanging, slack, slackness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hang

Words with the opposite meaning of Hang:

settle, sink, acclivity, ascent, rise, upgrade, uphill, uprise

Related Words for Hang

hook, mount, pin, tack, drape, festoon, garland, string, extend (out), jut, project, stick out, overhang, protrude, cascade, balance, establish, found, stay, slouch, slump, cave (in), collapse, crumple, drop, sink, subside, yield, bob, buoy

Near Antonyms of Hang

distend, stiffen, straighten, unbend, uncurl, dive, lunge, plunge, dip, immerse, submerge, submerse, glacis, grade, gradient, hill, inclination, incline, lean, pitch, rake, tilt, rigidity, rigidness, tautness, tenseness, tension, tightness

Word Forms of Hang

Inflections: hung, hanged, hanging

Derived words: hangable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Hang

partly from Middle English hon, from Old English hōn, transitive verb; partly from Middle English hangen, from Old English hangian, intransitive verb & transitive verb; both akin to Old High German hāhan, transitive verb, to hang, hangēn, intransitive verb cunctation

First known use: before 12th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Hang

Words & Phrases Containing Hang

hang about, hang around, hang back, hang fire, hang glide, hang glider, hang gliding

Frequently Asked Questions about Hang

What does "Hang" mean?

"Hang" means to fasten to some elevated point without support from below, suspend. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to fasten to some elevated point without support from below, suspend. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hang"?

Other words for "Hang" include dangle, sling, suspend, swing, depend, hinge, ride and turn. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hang" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hang"?

There are 83 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hang". Common alternatives include dangle, sling, suspend, swing, depend, hinge, ride, turn, droop and flag.

What is the opposite of "Hang"?

Antonyms of "Hang" include settle, sink, acclivity, ascent, rise, upgrade, uphill and uprise. Near antonyms include distend, stiffen, straighten and unbend.

How do you use "Hang" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hang" in a sentence: "hang your coats on the coat rack in the hall"; "our plan to go to the amusement park has all been worked out; now it just hangs on the weather"; "as they neared the end of the long, hard march all but the most hardy were hanging, and some could barely put one foot in front of the other".

Is "Hang" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hang" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Hang" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Hang" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Hang"?

"Hang" is pronounced /ˈhaŋ/.