Hang

/hæŋ/ noun, verb, slang

noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The way in which something hangs.
  • Grammar: hang is listed as noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: string up, act in concert, adhere, advert.
  • Useful contrasts: bang, clemency, detach.
  • Usage evidence: If we hang tight, I'm sure we can make it through these bad times.

How to use "hang"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hang" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hang" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hang" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hang" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "hang" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "string up" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "hang", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The way in which something hangs.

    "This skirt has a nice hang."

  2. 2
    Cheap processed ham (cured pork), often made specially for sandwiches. Ireland, derogatory, informal, uncountable
  3. 3
    Alternative spelling of Hang (“musical instrument”). alt-of, alternative
  4. 4
    The smallest amount of concern or consideration; a damn. colloquial

    "I don't give a hang."

  5. 5
    A percussion instrument invented and built by PANArt Hangbau AG, somewhat resembling a steelpan, consisting of two metal half shells with tuned notes on the top side that produces a mellow and ethereal sound.

    "Philip plays a Hang drum—a unique instrument that looks a little like two woks welded together."

Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    a gymnastic exercise performed on the rings or horizontal bar or parallel bars when the gymnast's weight is supported by the arms wordnet
  2. 7
    A mass of hanging material.

    "They advanced in a crouch, dropping to their knees every few yards to pass under a hang of rock."

  3. 8
    the way a garment hangs wordnet
  4. 9
    A slackening of motion.
  5. 10
    a special way of doing something wordnet
  6. 11
    A sharp or steep declivity or slope.
  7. 12
    An instance of ceasing to respond to input.

    "We sometimes get system hangs."

  8. 13
    A grip, understanding. figuratively, informal
  9. 14
    A hangout. colloquial

    "My first day was a fun hang, but I didn't really do too much. Me and stupid Bob just hung around the casino looking at box and losing money."

  10. 15
    A person that someone hangs out with. colloquial

    "She might announce something to everyone that makes no sense or tells a story that rambles on and on and makes no point. But for some reason nobody seems to mind. We all just like to listen to The Airhead. She's a fun hang."

Verb
  1. 1
    To be or remain suspended. intransitive

    "The lights hung from the ceiling."

  2. 2
    suspend (meat) in order to get a gamey taste wordnet
  3. 3
    To float, as if suspended. intransitive

    "The smoke hung in the room."

  4. 4
    hold on tightly or tenaciously wordnet
  5. 5
    To veer in one direction. intransitive

    "The jockey claimed that the horse hung towards the outside[…]"

Show 31 more definitions
  1. 6
    cause to be hanging or suspended wordnet
  2. 7
    To rebound unexpectedly or unusually slowly, due to backward spin on the ball or imperfections of the ground. intransitive, usually
  3. 8
    place in position as by a hinge so as to allow free movement in one direction wordnet
  4. 9
    To hold or bear in a suspended or inclined manner or position instead of erect. transitive

    "He hung his head in shame."

  5. 10
    be placed in position as by a hinge wordnet
  6. 11
    To cause (something) to be suspended, as from a hook, hanger, hinges, or the like. transitive

    "Hang those lights from the ceiling."

  7. 12
    be suspended or poised wordnet
  8. 13
    To kill (someone) by suspension from the neck, usually as a form of execution or suicide. transitive

    "The culprits were hanged from the nearest tree."

  9. 14
    be suspended or hanging wordnet
  10. 15
    To be executed by suspension by one's neck from a gallows, a tree, or other raised bar, attached by a rope tied into a noose. intransitive

    "You will hang for this, my friend."

  11. 16
    fall or flow in a certain way wordnet
  12. 17
    (used in maledictions) To damn. informal, transitive

    "Helena That depends on how much of the factory you show me. Domin Oh, hang the factory. Oh, no, no, you shall see everything, Miss Glory. Indeed you shall. Won't you sit down?"

  13. 18
    decorate or furnish with something suspended wordnet
  14. 19
    To loiter; to hang around; to spend time idly. informal, intransitive

    "I didn't see anything, officer. I was just hanging."

  15. 20
    let drop or droop wordnet
  16. 21
    To exhibit (an object) by hanging. transitive
  17. 22
    give heed (to) wordnet
  18. 23
    To apply (wallpaper or drywall to a wall). transitive

    "Let's hang this cute animal design in the nursery."

  19. 24
    kill by hanging wordnet
  20. 25
    To decorate (something) with hanging objects. transitive

    "Let's hang the nursery with some new wallpaper."

  21. 26
    prevent from reaching a verdict, of a jury wordnet
  22. 27
    To remain persistently in one's thoughts. figuratively, intransitive

    "Exploring, I found another short gallery running transversely to the first. This appeared to be devoted to minerals, and the sight of a block of sulphur set my mind running on gunpowder. But I could find no saltpetre; indeed, no nitrates of any kind. Doubtless they had deliquesced ages ago. Yet the sulphur hung in my mind, and set up a train of thinking."

  23. 28
    be menacing, burdensome, or oppressive wordnet
  24. 29
    To prevent from reaching a decision, especially by refusing to join in a verdict that must be unanimous. transitive

    "One obstinate juror can hang a jury."

  25. 30
    be exhibited wordnet
  26. 31
    To stop responding to manual input devices such as the keyboard and mouse. intransitive

    "The computer has hung again. Not even pressing <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del> works."

  27. 32
    To cause (a program or computer) to stop responding. transitive

    "The program has a bug that can hang the system."

  28. 33
    To cause (a piece) to become vulnerable to capture. transitive

    "If you move there, you'll hang your rook."

  29. 34
    To be vulnerable to capture. intransitive

    "In this standard opening position White has to be careful because the pawn on e4 hangs."

  30. 35
    To throw a hittable off-speed pitch. slang, transitive

    "McDougald then singled, and with a 3-2 count on Ellie Howard who was playing first base, Spahn hung a curve ball and Howard hit it over the wire fence in left field for a 4-4 tie."

  31. 36
    To attach or cause to stick (a charge or accusation, etc.). figuratively, transitive

    "There were no whisperings, even from his opponents, that he was no better than he ought to be. Because, there was nothing wrong on which to hang a charge. As an eloquent orator, he carried with him the firm support of a good name."

Synonyms

All synonyms
string upact in concertadhereadvertall dependand quarter

Example

"If we hang tight, I'm sure we can make it through these bad times."

Common questions

What does "hang" mean?

The way in which something hangs.

What is a synonym for "hang"?

Common synonyms include: string up, act in concert, adhere, advert, all depend, and quarter.

How do you use "hang" in a sentence?

If we hang tight, I'm sure we can make it through these bad times.

How do you pronounce "hang"?

Pronounced /hæŋ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English hangen, hongen, from a fusion of Old English hōn (“to hang, be hanging”, transitive verb) and hangian (“to hang, cause to hang”, intransitive verb), respectively from the transitive verb Proto-West Germanic *hą̄han and the intransitive verb *hangēn; also probably influenced by Old Norse hengja (“to suspend”) and hanga (“to be suspended”); all from Proto-Germanic *hanhaną and *hangāną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱenk- (“to waver, be in suspense”). See also Dutch hangen, Low German hangen and hängen, German hängen, Norwegian Bokmål henge, Norwegian Nynorsk henga; also Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (hāhan), Hittite 𒂵𒀀𒀭𒂵 (/⁠kānk-⁠/, “to hang”), Sanskrit शङ्कते (śáṅkate, “is in doubt, hesitates”), Latin cūnctārī (“to delay”).

Etymology 2

From hang sangwich, Irish colloquial pronunciation of ham sandwich.

Etymology 3

Alteration of dang, itself a minced oath of damn.

Etymology 4

Coined as a trademark, from Alemannic German Hang (“hand”), c. 2000.

More for "hang"

Synonyms

Related Topic Clusters

Health and Wellness Communication

Clear, supportive vocabulary for wellbeing content and coaching communication.

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsBrowse writing guidesExplore topic clusters