hangar

1 of 2

noun

han·​gar ˈhaŋ-ər  ˈhaŋ-gər 

: shelter, shed

especially : a covered and usually enclosed area for housing and repairing aircraft

hangar

2 of 2

verb

hangared; hangaring; hangars

transitive verb

: to place or store in a hangar

Examples of hangar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

During construction, it was lengthened by 39 feet, adding a submarine hangar, a media studio, and a 3-D-printing and robotics laboratory. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026

Behind every stealth sortie sits a web of ground support, architectural software, and heavy-duty maintenance hangars keeping the nation’s most expensive weapons system ready for flight. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026

Verb

The issue of high fuel prices came to the board’s attention in late spring when airport tenants – which range from flight schools, to charter aircraft, to hangar renters – began to complain to board members. — Jordan Graham, Orange County Register, 25 Jan. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French, "shed open on one or more sides for storing agricultural products, farm implements, and vehicles," going back to Middle French, perhaps going back to Old Low Franconian *haimgarda- "enclosure around a building," going back to West Germanic *haima- "dwelling" + *garđa- "enclosure" — more at home entry 1, yard entry 1

Note: The French form occurs earliest as a place name, Hangart (1135), in Somme department. Though the persistent attestation of the word with initial h-, diachronically and in dialects, is a certain indication of Germanic origin, the fact that such a compound is apparently not attested as a generic word or place-name in a Germanic language renders the etymology speculative.

Verb

verbal derivative of hangar entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1852, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1943, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hangar

• ganger
• hanger

Video

Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

Editor Serenity Carr breaks down hanger vs. hangar with a simple trick to keep them apart.

Transcript

Hanger. There's the one for clothes and the one for airplanes. They sound the same but are spelled differently. One ends in er, the other ends in ar. So how do you remember which is which? The airplane hangar ends in ar, which is one letter short of air.

Kids Definition

hangar

noun

hang·​ar

ˈhaŋ-ər, 

ˈhaŋ-gər

: a shelter for housing and repairing aircraft

Etymology

Noun

from French hangar "shed"