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to hang

to hang

771 3.7
To stay in the air or in a place, often as a feeling
  • verb
  • /hæŋ/
translation icon : permanecer
  • But the sheer magnitude of human suffering that hangs in the balance creates a particularly difficult situation.
  • hang in the air
  • hang in the balance
  • hangs over their head

And so the so that was hanging over us for five weeks.

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Examples

  • Maybe so, but millions of lives are hanging in the balance.

  • During the summer, when I forgot my key, I'd just hang out after school at JoAnn's.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We supported each other and still hang out now that class is over.

    Academic text (2008)
  • You absolutely left us hanging for over a year.

  • OK, The Internet is hanging on your decision.

  • Of course, there can also be a tendency in education to hang onto everything.

    Academic text (2015)
  • There was no credible plan to ease the burden of debt hanging over so many businesses.

  • The mammoth case has been hanging around for three years since it was filed in 1996.

    Academic text (1999)
  • A heavy smell of tobacco and perfume hung like the red velvet drapes.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The smell of death is hanging over large parts of this city.

Synonyms

to linger
vsto hang
207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

remains present in air or place without implying extra duration or reluctance
to hang heavy
vsto hang
2 8.6

To create a dark, worrying feeling that stays with people

remains present without implying burden or ominous quality
1 4.9

Stay in the air so people can still smell or notice it

stays present generally rather than only after the source disappears
1 7.7

A strong feeling that people in a place notice and feel

stays present in the air but without strong oppressive emotion

Antonyms

1.0

To stop being seen or to no longer be there

Idioms

To be in a situation where the result is not decided, for example a job or game

To listen very carefully to every word someone says

1 6.1

In a very dangerous situation where a small problem can cause everything to fail

to hang a Louie
  • Informal
1 9.9

Turn left while driving or riding a bike

to care a hang
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To feel no interest or worry at all about something

To start your own business as a professional

A strong feeling that people in a place notice and feel

1 7.7

To live in a place and make it your home

to give a hang
  • Archaic
9.3

To not care at all about something, used only in negative sentences

9.9

To not have enough evidence to prove someone is guilty or to take action

9.9

To throw up when you feel sick

to hang an arse
  • Offensive
9.9

To waste time instead of working

9.1

To be in a very risky situation and about to fail

Make a home and live in a place

Admire someone so much that you think they are perfect

To stop working in your job, especially as an athlete

To stop doing an activity, especially to stop playing music for good

7.7

To stop working after a long time

Phrasal Verbs

to hang out
  • Informal
946 2.4

To spend time relaxing or talking with friends

to hang around
  • Informal
407 2.0

To stay in a place without doing anything important

405 2.5

End a phone call by putting the phone down

to hang on
  • Informal
362 3.0

To stay on the phone and wait

to hang in
  • Informal
167 3.6

To keep trying and not give up when things are hard

to hang on
  • Informal
111 3.4

To wait a short time or keep going through a hard time

69 2.3

Put something on a wall or hook so it stays off the ground

59 3.9

To learn how to do something after some practice

to get the hang
  • Informal
58 3.6

Learn to do something well after some practice

to hang on
  • Informal
46 3.3

To continue doing something and refuse to give up

34 4.6

To hesitate and stay behind the group

to hang tight
  • Informal
22 7.4

Wait patiently and stay calm during a delay

to go hang
  • Informal
14 9.1

To spend time relaxing with friends or alone without a plan

7 8.2

To relax completely and show your true feelings without holding back

Put a large sign or cloth up so people can see it

3 4.4

To be lower than usual or to seem sad

3 4.4

To stay in a place without a clear reason

To fit together so the parts make sense as a whole

To create a dark, worrying feeling that stays with people

To stay united and help each other in hard times

To fly with a lightweight glider hung below your body without an engine

to hang fire
  • Informal
1 8.0

To delay making a decision or taking action

Keep someone worried about something bad that might happen

Stay perfectly straight when on a wall or ceiling

Depend on something that decides the result

Compounds

hang-up
  • Informal
30 6.8

An emotional problem that makes someone feel nervous or unable to act normally

16 5.9

An unexpected problem that stops progress in a plan or process

4 4.6

A sport of flying a light aircraft without an engine launched from a hill or cliff

2 4.2

A light flying craft without a motor like a large kite that a person hangs under to fly

lever hang
  • Specialized
9.3

A position on gym rings where the body is held straight and horizontal

A person who flies a small craft like a kite while hanging below it

A position where you hang upside down from a bar or rings with your body straight

A body position with arms stretched backward while the body is held by a bar above

9.9

A position on rings where a gymnast hangs upside down with hips bent and legs straight

straight hang
  • Jargon
8.2

A position on rings or parallel bars with the body straight and arms at the sides

How Long

to persist
61 3.5
to linger
207 3.7
to hang
771 3.7
to fade
531 1.2

Surface Forms

hang infinitive
hanging present participle
hangs third person singular
hung past
hung past participle

Etymology

Hang also kept the picture of something left in the air, so when a smell or a mood 'hangs' over a place it means it stays there, like mist that does not move away.