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 tiny creatures have long been a favorite because of their ethereal appearance and curious way of hanging in the water column. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2023 Pivetta got ahead, 1 and 2, but Varsho hung in and got a hanging curveball on the eighth pitch and drove it 392 feet to right field. Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023 Drying sweet grass and other native medicinal plants hung in bundles from the pipes and walls or tucked into ceramic baskets subtly perfume the air. Briana Miller | , oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023 The woman giving birth alone on Sunday comes months after the widow of a Montgomery County Jail inmate who was found hanging in his cell filed a $2 million lawsuit negligence against the jail and sheriff’s department. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2023 Then, Camila is spotted showing off her toned abs in said bikini while clutching a book and a mandarin, and Camila hanging in the grass with an ice cube on those epic abs (because why not?). Korin Miller, Women's Health, 28 Aug. 2023 The late Harry Reid, another teetotaler and a Senate leader when Pelosi was speaker, had a Dead poster signed by the entire band hanging in his home in Searchlight, Nev. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2023 Despite her breezy delivery, the statement seems to hang in the air between them. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2023 Mistletoe Nothing says sharing the love like a bit of mistletoe hanging in a door frame. Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2023 See More

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 28 Sep. 2023.

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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