- hang
- [[t]hæŋ[/t]]v. hung (esp. for4,5,20,24)hanged, hang•ing,1) to fasten or attach (a thing) so that it is supported only from above or at a point near its own top; suspend2) to attach or suspend so as to allow free movement:to hang a door[/ex]3) to place in position or fasten so as to allow easy or ready movement4) to execute by suspending from a gallows, gibbet, or the like:to hang a convicted murderer[/ex]5) to suspend by the neck until dead:He committed suicide by hanging himself[/ex]6) to furnish or decorate with something suspended:to hang a room with pictures[/ex]7) to fasten into position; fix at a proper angle:to hang a scythe[/ex]8) to fasten or attach (wallpaper, pictures, curtains, etc.) to a wall or the like9) fiaa) to exhibit (a painting or group of paintings)b) to put the paintings of (an art exhibition) on the wall of a gallery10) to attach or annex as an addition:to hang a rider on a bill[/ex]11) to make (something) dependent on something else:She hung the meaning of her puns on the current political scene[/ex]12) spog to throw (a baseball pitch) so that it fails to break, as a curve13) (used in mild curses and emphatic expressions, often as a euphemism for damn):Well, I'll be hanged![/ex]14) to keep (a jury) from rendering a verdict, as one juror by refusing to agree with the others15) to be suspended; dangle16) to swing freely, as on a hinge17) to incline downward, jut out, or lean over or forward18) to be suspended by the neck, as from a gallows, and suffer death in this way19) to be conditioned or contingent; be dependent:Our future hangs on the outcome of their discussion[/ex]20) to be doubtful or undecided; waver or hesitate21) to remain unfinished or undecided; be delayed22) to linger, remain, or persist23) to float or hover in the air24) to be oppressive, burdensome, or tedious:guilt that hangs on one's conscience[/ex]25) to fit or drape in graceful lines:That coat hangs well in back[/ex]26) fiaa) to be exhibited:Her works hang in this museum[/ex]b) to have one's works on display:Rembrandt hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art[/ex]27) cvb inf to hang out28) phv inf hang around or about, Informala) to spend time in a certain place or in certain companyb) to linger about; loiter29) phv hang backto hesitate or be reluctant to move forward or take action30) phv+sts hang in (there), Informal. to persevere or endure31) phv hang ona) to cling tightlyb) to persevere in doing somethingc) to persist unremittingly, as an illnessd) to keep a telephone line open:Hang on, I'll see if she's here[/ex]e) to wait briefly; keep calmf) to listen very attentively to:They hung on his every word[/ex]32) phv hang outa) to lean out, suspend, or be suspended, as through an openingb) Informal. to loiter idly; frequent a placec) Informal. to associate in casual companionship33) phv hang overa) to remain unfinished or unsettledb) to menace; overshadow34) phv hang upa) to suspend, as on a hookb) to stop or delay the progress ofc) to end a telephone call by breaking the connection35) the way in which a thing hangs36) inf Informal. the precise manner of doing, using, etc., something; knack37) inf Informal. meaning or significance:to get the hang of a subject[/ex]38) the least degree of care, concern, etc. (used in mild curses and emphatic expressions as a euphemism for damn): He doesn't give a hang about it[/ex]•Etymology: bef. 900; fusion of 3 verbs: (1) ME, OE hōn to hang (v.t.), c. OOHG hāhan, Go hāhan; (2) ME hang(i) en, OE hangian to hang (v.i.), c. OS hangon, OHG hangēn; (3) ME hengen < ON hengja to hang (v.t.) hang′a•ble, adj. hang`a•bil′i•ty, n. usage: hanged the historically older form of the past tense and past participle, is rarely used except in the sense of putting to death, esp. legally: to be hanged by the neck until dead. But hung also occurs in this sense, except in legal documents, and is actually the more frequent form when legal execution is not meant: The prisoner hung himself in his cell. This use of hung is sometimes considered incorrect.
From formal English to slang. 2014.