to hang on
46
3.3
- phrasal verb
- /hæŋ ɑn/
- Informal
:
persistir
- The isolated British vanguard must hang on until the rest of their ships can join the action.
And I survived by hanging on to music.
- And I survived by hanging on to music.
- What would how far would they go to hang on to power when push came to shove?
- South somehow or other the companies are hanging on with these sort of base modules.
- Which contributes to the woman, in many cases, hanging on to a man who isn't best for her.
- We were that old team, you know, hanging on to our last, yeah, couple years.
- In this time of tragedy, I had to find something to hang on to.
- It serves those with money who also have power and who want to hang on to it.
- The problem is the people who are scared, you know what are still hanging on to the old.
- And so it's no longer losing, it's probably not gain, it's just trying to hang on.
- when moment of death comes, all you will have is belief systems to hang on to,
- There was a long period of knowing that it probably wasn't right, but I kept hanging on.
- As long as the cash flow is positive or break even, the landlord will hang on with the hope that there's a recovery on the way.
Examples
-
I'll be here hanging on, waiting for your call.
-
I became disoriented, but kept hanging on to the truth of Scripture.
Blog text (2) -
And I, I want to hang on to this as long as I possibly can.
-
How long do you think you can hang on?
-
It's so hard to hang on and so easy to let go.
Fiction book (1995) -
And I survived by hanging on to music.
-
All Tapinza could do now was hang on for the ride.
Fiction book (2001) -
He's just going to have to hang on until morning.
Academic text (2010) -
Nonetheless, I am grateful, still hanging on and wanting to encourage everyone else to do the same.
Blog text (20) -
Despite the challenges, she chose to hang on and keep pursuing her dreams.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To keep doing something without stopping
357
1.6
To continue doing something without stopping
341
3.6
Keep doing or supporting something even when it is difficult
306
1.4
Continue doing something without stopping
253
2.7
To continue doing something after an interruption or when it is difficult
240
2.1
To hold on tightly to someone or something and not let go
173
3.3
To keep trying and not give up when things are hard
167
3.6
To keep trying and not give up when things are hard
161
4.4
Move forward without stopping or slowing down
139
3.7
To refuse to give up until you get what you want
111
3.3
To hold tightly to something or keep believing something strongly in hard times
111
3.4
To remain in a place or job after others leave
87
3.0
Continue doing something well with the same effort
62
3.7
To keep doing something or keep holding a belief despite difficulty
47
3.6
To stay with and support someone in hard times
38
3.2
To continue to exist after a dangerous or difficult time
26
3.9
To keep going with a task even when it is hard
22
5.1
Keep trying to do something even when it is hard
21
3.7
Move forward or keep going despite difficulty
20
4.1
To keep doing something even when it is difficult or people disagree
19
2.6
Continue doing something after a pause or interruption
11
5.5
To stay firmly attached to something or keep believing strongly in an idea
1
9.2
To keep going without giving up after facing many hard times
To continue to try hard even when things are difficult
Continuing to try despite problems
To keep supporting something until the very end, no matter how long it takes
To keep trying to reach a goal even when things are hard
Antonyms
How Determined
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to continue or persist' is directly inferable from 'hang' (to cling or hold) plus 'on' (indicating continuation), so a learner who knows both words can derive the metaphorical extension to persisting. This compositional pattern (cling/hold + continuation) is common and parallels verbs like 'hold on', making the meaning accessible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Hang on comes from the image of gripping a rope or rock so you will not fall and refusing to let go until you are safe. That's why hang on means to 'continue determinedly' or 'refuse to give up'.