hang
hang (hăng) verb
hung (hŭng), hanging, hangs
verb, transitive
1. To fasten from above with no support from below; suspend.
2. To suspend or fasten so as to allow free movement at or about the point of suspension: hang a door.
3. past tense and past participle hanged (hăngd) a. To execute by suspending by the neck: They hanged the prisoner at dawn. b. Used to express exasperation or disgust: I'll be hanged! Hang it all!
4. To fix or attach at an appropriate angle: hang a scythe to its handle.
5. To alter the hem of (a garment) so as to fall evenly at a specified height.
6. To furnish, decorate, or appoint by suspending objects around or about: hang a room with curtains.
7. To hold or incline downward; let droop: hang one's head in sorrow.
8. a. To attach to a wall: hang wallpaper. b. To display, as in a gallery or an office: hung four new paintings in the foyer.
9. Informal. To give (a nickname or label) to someone.
10. To deadlock (a jury) by failing to render a unanimous verdict.
11. Baseball. To throw (a pitch) in such a manner as to fail to break.
verb, intransitive
1. To be attached from above with no support from below.
2. To die as a result of hanging.
3. To remain suspended or poised over a place or an object; hover: rain clouds hanging low over the corn fields.
4. To attach oneself as a dependent or an impediment; cling.
5. To incline downward; droop.
6. To depend: Everything hangs on the committee's decision.
7. To pay strict attention: a student who hangs on the professor's every word.
8. To remain unresolved or uncertain: His future hung in the balance.
9. To fit the body in loose lines: a dress that hangs well.
10. To be on display, as in a gallery.
11. Baseball. To fail to break or move in the intended way, as a curve ball.
12. To be imminent; loom: the threat hanging over us.
13. To be or become burdensome: Time hung heavy on my hands.
noun
1. The way in which something hangs.
2. A downward inclination or slope.
3. Particular meaning or significance.
4. Informal. The proper method for doing, using, or handling something: finally got the hang of it.
5. A suspension of motion; a slackening.
phrasal verb.
hang around
1. To spend time idly; loiter.
2. To keep company; consort.
hang back
To be averse; hold back. hang in Informal
To persevere: decided to hang in despite his illness. hang off
To hold back; be averse. hang on
1. To cling tightly to something.
2. To continue persistently; persevere.
3. To keep a telephone connection open.
4. To wait for a short period of time.
hang out Slang
1. To spend one's free time in a certain place: "a group of boys who hung out together around what they called Barry's Corner" (Linda Ellerbee).
2. To pass time idly; loiter: spent the evening just hanging out.
3. To keep company; date: hanging out with a former boyfriend.
hang together
1. To stand united; stick together: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately" (Benjamin Franklin).
2. To constitute a coherent totality: diverse plot lines that did not hang together.
hang up
1. To suspend on a hook or hanger.
2. a. To replace (a telephone receiver) on its base or cradle. b. To end a telephone conversation.
3. a. To delay or impede; hinder: Budget problems hung up the project for months. b. To become halted or snagged: The fishing line hung up on a rock. c. Informal. To have or cause to have emotional difficulties or inhibitions.
4. a. To replace (a telephone receiver) on its base or cradle. b. To end a telephone conversation.
5. a. To delay or impede; hinder: Budget problems hung up the project for months. b. To become halted or snagged: The fishing line hung up on a rock. c. Informal. To have or cause to have emotional difficulties or inhibitions.
idiom.
give a hang or care a hang
To be concerned or anxious: I don't give a hang what you do.
hang a left Informal
To make a left turn, as in an automobile.
hang a right Informal
To make a right turn, as in an automobile.
hang fire
1. To delay: "They are people who hung fire even through the bloody days of the Hungarian Revolution" (Mark Muro).
2. To be slow in firing, as a gun.
hang in there Informal
To persevere despite difficulties; persist: She hung in there despite pressure to resign.
hang it up Informal
To give up; quit.
hang loose Slang
To stay calm or relaxed.
hang on to
To hold firmly; keep fast: Hang on to your money.
hang tough Informal
To remain firmly resolved: "We are going to hang tough on this" (Donald T. Regan).
let it all hang out Slang
1. To be completely relaxed.
2. To be completely candid.
[Middle English hongen, from Old English hangian, to be suspended and from Old English hōn, to hang.]
Usage Note: Hanged, as a past tense and a past participle of hang, is used in the sense of "to put to death by hanging." In the following example hung would be unacceptable to a majority of the Usage Panel: Frontier courts hanged many a prisoner after a summary trial. In all other senses of the word, hung is the preferred form as past tense and past participle.