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 this equally spare short, another CGI boy hangs in a woodshed from a noose. — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026

Now, things hang in the balance as the Giants await Dart’s MRI results, which should come on Tuesday. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

With the game hanging in the balance, Kansas City’s defense rallied and held up, forcing a game-tying field goal. — Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Investors who are still hanging in can anchor to the 200-day at $240 as the line that keeps the longer-term thesis intact. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 21 Sep. 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.