hanger

noun

hang·​er ˈhaŋ-ər 

1

: one that hangs or causes to be hung or hanged

2

: something that hangs, overhangs, or is suspended: such as

a

: a decorative strip of cloth

b

: a small sword formerly used by sailors

c

chiefly British : a small wood on steeply sloping land

3

: a device by which or to which something is hung or hangs: such as

a

: a strap on a sword belt by which a sword or dagger can be suspended

b

: a loop by which a garment is hung up

c

: a device that fits inside or around a garment for hanging from a hook or rod

Examples of hanger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An empty drawer or shelf, a few hangers and some open closet space let guests actually move in for the length of their stay instead of living out of a suitcase on the floor. — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026

Clear an empty drawer or shelf for their things, and leave a few hangers in an empty closet space. — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

Those who want to take the Chuk box's functionality even further can add compatible accessories like the paper towel holder, garbage bag ring, lantern hanger, utensil organizer, storage hooks and cutting board. — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026

Her label was among the first to use 100 percent recycled cardboard hangers in 2019 as part of a mission to eliminate plastic from both front- and back-of-house operations. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hanger

• cliff-hanger
• clothes hanger
• coat hanger
• hanger-on
• hanger steak

Rhymes for hanger

• ganger
• hangar

Video

Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

Editor Serenity Carr breaks down hanger vs. hangar with a simple trick to keep them apart.

Transcript

Hanger. There's the one for clothes and the one for airplanes. They sound the same but are spelled differently. One ends in er, the other ends in ar. So how do you remember which is which? The airplane hangar ends in ar, which is one letter short of air.

Kids Definition

hanger

noun

hang·​er ˈhaŋ-ər 

1

: one that hangs

2

: a device by which something hangs

especially : a device for hanging a garment from a hook or rod