hang in

verb

hung in; hanging in; hangs in

intransitive verb

informal : to refuse to be discouraged or intimidated : to keep going, trying, or working in a difficult situation
… did not hang in long enough to win even a battle.Marvin E. Frankel
Hoping to hang in until some series he works on runs five years and makes him $50 million in syndication …Chris Chase
often used in the phrase hang in there
If there was ever a mismatched couple it was this one, but the children begged them to hang in there.Joseph Wambaugh
If she hung in there long enough, he would change. It just took a lot of patience with a little reasoning.Gloria Naylor

Examples of hang in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The two women find themselves in a fierce rivalry where their political futures and lives hang in the balance. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Things to know about the holiday for an iconic math symbol TikTok's fate in the U.S. hangs in the balance. Alex Sundby, Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 Kent Denver is turning up the full-court pressure, resulting in a couple fast-break buckets, but RCHS is hanging in there. Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Married at First Sight's Cameron is accepting some hard truths as his fate with Clare hangs in the balance. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed Western leaders to Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and foreign aid hangs in the balance. Susie Blann The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 25 Feb. 2024 The project is not in the budget adopted by the Senate, meaning its fate hangs in the balance as negotiators from both the House and Senate begin working behind the scenes to resolve such differences. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 Plans set into motion All of those political tensions and disagreements now hang in the backdrop as March begins and the city’s plans start to take effect. Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Many homes have a host of tea towels lying around: one by the kitchen sink, another hanging in the powder room, and five more tucked away in a drawer, ready to rotate when the others need washing. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hang in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hang in was in 1966

Dictionary Entries Near hang in

Cite this Entry

“Hang in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang%20in. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hang in

verb
: to refuse to be discouraged or frightened
hang in there, kid! Don't quit

More from Merriam-Webster on hang in

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