hangout

1 of 2

noun

hang·​out ˈhaŋ-ˌau̇t 

: a favorite place for spending time

also : a place frequented for entertainment or for socializing

hang out

2 of 2

verb

hung out; hanging out; hangs out

1

intransitive : to protrude and droop

a dog with its tongue hanging out

2

intransitive informal : to spend time idly or in relaxing or socializing

just hanging out by the pool

My mother told me not to hang out in bars because the sort of people I would meet there were the sort of people who hang out in bars.

—Calvin Trillin

Traditionally, most owners [of sports teams] are rich egomaniacs eager to hang out with athletes and get their names in the paper.

—George Vecsey

3

transitive : to display (something) outside as an announcement to the public

hang out a sign/banner

—used chiefly in the phrase hang out a/one's shingle in the figurative sense "to start a business, begin working professionally"

Publishing was not as complicated a business … when young Alfred Knopf hung out his shingle nearly 70 years ago.

—John F. Baker

Back then big L.A. law firms rarely hired Jews … . So Sterling hung out a shingle in Boyle Heights and became a tireless advocate for his old neighbors, handling everything from divorces to personal injury cases.

—Franz Lidz

Synonyms of hangout

Noun

• haunt

Examples of hangout in a Sentence

Noun

The park was their favorite hangout.

a favorite hangout of senior citizens is the local community center

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Also mentioned during the ceremony were Broder’s famous cigar hangouts and poker nights with his friends in the business. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2025

About 30 or so customers occupied the wooden stools of the old-school, salty hangout in an industrial strip a few miles from downtown Louisville. —Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025

Verb

For more than 20 years, Dilworth Neighborhood Grille has been a community gathering space for family dinners, hanging out with friends watching sports. —Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2025

So the thing that’s exciting me, even more than sitting behind the judges table and being on television, is hanging out with my friends. —Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1893, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hangout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

hangout

noun

hang·​out ˈhaŋ-ˌau̇t 

: a favorite place for spending time