hang around

verb

hung around; hanging around; hangs around

1

intransitive, informal

a

: to pass time idly or in relaxing or socializing

spent the day just hanging around with her friends

b

: to stay in or at a place for a period of time

had to hang around for over an hour, waiting for the bus

She didn't feel like hanging around at the club afterward …

—David Calder

2

transitive informal : to pass time or stay in or at (a place) or in the company of (someone)

hung around the house all day

My mother doesn't want me hanging around the park alone.

—Judy Blume

When he was 10 years old, Lester taught him-self to windsurf by hanging around the Europeans and Canadian tourists who rented boards on the beach at Varadero.

—Sam Moses

Synonyms of hang around

• remain
• stay
• wait
• stick around

Examples of hang around in a Sentence

if you hang around until my husband gets home, you can meet him

Recent Examples on the Web

But as Clark ducked out of the postgame media room Friday, treating her historic night like a regular day at the office, there were still a few teammates, staffers and security guards hanging around in the bowels of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. — James Boyd, New York Times, 18 July 2026

The haze is expected to hang around for parts of Saturday, but the good news is that rain should help clear out the smoke over much of the tri-state area. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026

Will the smoke and poor air quality hang around for the World Cup final? — Ben Church, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

But when October rolls around again, do sophomores, juniors, and seniors really want their parents hanging around for the weekend? — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for hang around

• aboveground
• battleground
• belowground
• paperbound
• turnaround
• ultrasound
• underground
• wraparound
• abound
• aground
• astound
• background

Kids Definition

hang around

verb

informal

: to pass time or stay idly in or at

hung around the house all day