hangman

noun

hang·​man ˈhaŋ-mən 

1

: one who hangs a condemned person

also : a public executioner

2

: a game in which the object is for one player to guess the letters of an unknown word before the player who knows the word creates a stick figure of a hanged man by drawing one line for each incorrect guess

Examples of hangman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The nursery consists of coral fragments that dangle from hangman structures that the Coral Restoration Foundation put 30 feet under the surface. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2025

The death penalty has just been abolished in the United Kingdom, and all the townspeople in Oldham want to know what the second-best hangman in the country has to say about it. —Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

But since taking office, the president has been tightening up his definition of freedom like a hangman’s noose. —Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2025

Our staff plays hangman to pass some time. —R29 Team, refinery29.com, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hangman

noun

hang·​man ˈhaŋ-mən 

1

: a person who hangs condemned criminals

2

: a game in which the object is for one player to guess the letters of an unknown word before the player who knows the word creates a stick figure of a hanged man by drawing one line for each incorrect guess