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

On the wall behind the west goal at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium, a large banner hung in front of boisterous bunch of Algerian fans. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 28 June 2026

Highs will hang in the 90s through the work week with lows in the 70s. — Lisa Meadows, CBS News, 28 June 2026

Canada just had a great chance at a goal after a Tani Oluwaseyi shot created a rebound that was hanging in the air in front of the goal. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 June 2026

It may have first been owned by wealthy bachelor Floris Soop, possibly the man who appears in a 1654 painting by the artist now hanging in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 26 June 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.