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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

hang.

To be or remain suspended.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/hæŋ/Received-Pronunciation[hæŋ]Received-Pronunciation/haŋ/British, Midlands, Southern, Standard[haŋ]British, Midlands, Southern, Standard
  1. To be or remain suspended.

    intransitive
    The lights hung from the ceiling.
  2. To float, as if suspended.

    intransitive
    The smoke hung in the room.
  3. To veer in one direction.

    intransitive
  4. To rebound unexpectedly or unusually slowly, due to backward spin on the ball or imperfections of the ground.

    intransitive · usually
  5. To hold or bear in a suspended or inclined manner or position instead of erect.

    transitive
    He hung his head in shame.
  6. To cause (something) to be suspended, as from a hook, hanger, hinges, or the like.

    transitive
    Hang those lights from the ceiling.
    to hang a door
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. (used in maledictions) To damn.

    informal · transitive
  10. To loiter; to hang around; to spend time idly.

    informal · intransitive
    I didn't see anything, officer. I was just hanging.
  11. To exhibit (an object) by hanging.

    transitive
  12. To apply (wallpaper or drywall to a wall).

    transitive
    Let's hang this cute animal design in the nursery.
  13. To decorate (something) with hanging objects.

    transitive
    Let's hang the nursery with some new wallpaper.
  14. To remain persistently in one's thoughts.

    figuratively · intransitive
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
    When I push this button the program hangs.
  17. To cause (a program or computer) to stop responding.

    transitive
    The program has a bug that can hang the system.
  18. To cause (a piece) to become vulnerable to capture.

    transitive
    If you move there, you'll hang your rook.
  19. To be vulnerable to capture.

    intransitive
    In this standard opening position White has to be careful because the pawn on e4 hangs.
  20. To throw a hittable off-speed pitch.

    slang · transitive
  21. To attach or cause to stick (a charge or accusation, etc.).

    figuratively · transitive
Where this word comes from

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”).

noun/hæŋ/Received-Pronunciation[hæŋ]Received-Pronunciation/haŋ/British, Midlands, Southern, Standard[haŋ]British, Midlands, Southern, Standard
  1. The way in which something hangs.

    This skirt has a nice hang.
  2. A mass of hanging material.

  3. A slackening of motion.

  4. A sharp or steep declivity or slope.

  5. An instance of ceasing to respond to input.

    We sometimes get system hangs.
  6. A grip, understanding.

    figuratively · informal
  7. A hangout.

    colloquial
  8. A person that someone hangs out with.

    colloquial
Where this word comes from

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”).

noun/hæŋ/Received-Pronunciation[hæŋ]Received-Pronunciation/haŋ/British, Midlands, Southern, Standard[haŋ]British, Midlands, Southern, Standard
  1. Cheap processed ham (cured pork), often made specially for sandwiches.

    Ireland · derogatory · informal · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From hang sangwich, Irish colloquial pronunciation of ham sandwich.

noun/hæŋ/Received-Pronunciation[hæŋ]Received-Pronunciation/haŋ/British, Midlands, Southern, Standard[haŋ]British, Midlands, Southern, Standard
  1. The smallest amount of concern or consideration; a damn.

    colloquial
    I don't give a hang.
    They don't seem to care a hang about the consequences.
Where this word comes from

Alteration of dang, itself a minced oath of damn.

noun/hæŋ/Received-Pronunciation[hæŋ]Received-Pronunciation/haŋ/British, Midlands, Southern, Standard[haŋ]British, Midlands, Southern, Standard
  1. Alternative spelling of Hang (“musical instrument”).

    alt-of · alternative
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.