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Glite Dictionary
🔫 A firing delay ⏳ To hesitate
to hangfire

to hangfire

9.9
To wait before acting and risk losing a chance
  • verb
  • /ˈhæŋfaɪər/
: dudar
  • If you hangfire too long, you might miss your chance to apply for the scholarship.

Examples

  • When offered the promotion, she decided to hangfire and think it over for a few days.

  • He tends to hangfire when making important decisions, which sometimes leads to regret.

  • Don't hangfire on making that decision!

  • He tends to hangfire when faced with important choices.

  • If you hangfire too long, you might miss your chance to apply for the scholarship.

  • When offered the promotion, she decided to hangfire and think it over for a few days.

  • He tends to hangfire when making important decisions, which sometimes leads to regret.

Synonyms

to hang on
vsto hangfire
  • Informal
445 3.4

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

is a hesitant delay that can lead to missed opportunities rather than brief waiting
to stall
vsto hangfire
218 4.3

To delay doing something on purpose to get more time

is hesitation that unintentionally wastes chances rather than strategic delay
to hold back
vsto hangfire
116 3.5

Wait before doing something because you feel unsure

often causes missed opportunities by delaying action
to hold off
vsto hangfire
99 3.8

To wait before doing something

is more likely to lose opportunities because hesitation blocks prompt action
to hold off on
vsto hangfire
41 4.2

To wait before doing something

tends to create missed chances by hesitating rather than proceeding
to hang back
vsto hangfire
38 4.6

To hesitate and stay behind the group

is an indecisive delay that often results in missed opportunities
to hang tight
vsto hangfire
  • Informal
25 7.4

Wait patiently and stay calm during a delay

is a hesitant pause that risks losing opportunities rather than calm waiting
to stall for time
vsto hangfire
  • Informal
6 4.8

To delay doing something to get more time

is hesitation that often loses opportunities rather than buying time deliberately
to sit on a decision
vsto hangfire
1 4.2

Delay making a decision by waiting instead of choosing

often causes missed opportunities because hesitation prevents prompt choice
to hang an arse
vsto hangfire
  • Offensive
9.9

To waste time instead of working

is hesitation that more often causes missed opportunities than lazy idleness

Antonyms

to take action
388 2.8

To do something to solve a problem or make a change

How Quickly

to act
745 1.0
to pause
336 1.0
to hesitate
301 2.5
to hangfire
9.9
to stall
218 4.3

Surface Forms

hangfire infinitive
hangfired past
hangfired past participle
hangfiring present participle
hangfires third person singular

Morphology

hangfire = hang + fire (opaque) = hang + fire

The delay sense comes from an idiomatic historical expression and is not straightforwardly predictable from the literal meanings of 'hang' and 'fire'.

Etymology

Hangfire as a verb uses the same image: a choice or action is left to hang before you fire, meaning 'act'. A helpful way to remember it is that to hangfire is to hesitate or delay, which can make you miss your chance.