hang back

verb

hung back; hanging back; hangs back

intransitive verb

1

: to drag behind others

2

: to be reluctant

Synonyms

• hesitate
• falter

Examples of hang back in a Sentence

even though the young mother wanted the job, she still hung back because she wasn't sure if she should spend time away from her family

Recent Examples on the Web

While everyone else is working to save Bree, Belle hangs back and deals with the dead bodies. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 23 June 2025

There are a few that fight the seagulls when the gulls try to steal a pizza crust that all the pigeons have been worrying, and there are a few that hang back and wait until the gulls are driven off. —Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

After doing the work to create the transformer architecture in 2017, Google hung back and gave OpenAI the space to become a cultural phenomenon. —Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2025

So, with at least the knowledge that Manny is alive and relatively in one piece, Ray drives Theresa to prison with every intention of hanging back in the car. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hang back

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback

Kids Definition

hang back

verb

1

: to linger behind others

hung back to wait for the slower children

2

: to be unwilling to do something : hesitate

always hangs back when everyone else is dancing