hang around

verb

hung around; hanging around; hangs around

1

intransitive, informal

a

: to pass time idly or in relaxing or socializing

spent the day just hanging around with her friends

b

: to stay in or at a place for a period of time

had to hang around for over an hour, waiting for the bus

She didn't feel like hanging around at the club afterward …

—David Calder

2

transitive informal : to pass time or stay in or at (a place) or in the company of (someone)

hung around the house all day

My mother doesn't want me hanging around the park alone.

—Judy Blume

When he was 10 years old, Lester taught him-self to windsurf by hanging around the Europeans and Canadian tourists who rented boards on the beach at Varadero.

—Sam Moses

Synonyms of hang around

• remain
• stay
• wait
• stick around

Examples of hang around in a Sentence

if you hang around until my husband gets home, you can meet him

Recent Examples on the Web

Joe cut his teeth by working his way up the ranks; also maybe by hanging around a lot when dad Jack Buck broadcast for years from most of the sacred citadels of sports. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

When it was finally heard, Jennifer Leeper introduced it and most of the Democratic caucus was either not in the room or hanging around chatting. — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026

The Tigers hung around and cut the deficit to five, 84-79, when senior Jordan Crawford hit a 3 with less than two minutes remaining. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026

Montano hung around the net and was rewarded with the game-winning goal with 14 minutes to go as the host Tomcats edged Oswego East 1-0 in a Class 3A East Aurora Sectional semifinal. — Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for hang around

• aboveground
• battleground
• belowground
• paperbound
• turnaround
• ultrasound
• underground
• wraparound
• abound
• aground
• astound
• background

Kids Definition

hang around

verb

informal

: to pass time or stay idly in or at

hung around the house all day