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

In its report, Variety detailed mounting unpaid bills, strained vendor relationships, and internal turmoil at Row K that’s left employees and clients hanging in the balance after only eight months. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026

The Beehive is hanging in there. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 22 Mar. 2026

The Panthers' stingy defense hung in against the Big East champions' vibrant offense, but Ejiofor and the Johnnies have resembled a national title contender since shortly after the calendar flipped to 2026. —CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026

The Horns were focused but the afterglow of Thursday’s 79-71 first round win over BYU stll hung in the air. —Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hang in

verb

informal

: to refuse to be discouraged or frightened

Hang in there, kid! Don't quit.