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
David Calder2
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
Judy BlumeWhen 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
Sam MosesExamples of hang around in a Sentence
if you hang around until my husband gets home, you can meet him
Recent Examples on the Web
This classic recipe starts making its appearance around Mother's Day and hangs around all season long.
—Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 25 May 2026
New York hung around for six games against the Indiana Pacers last year, but Game 1 of that series included a 17-point comeback by the Pacers, who needed Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer-beating shot — which bounced off the rim, went skyward, then fell in — to force overtime.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 24 May 2026
This mountain lion wasn't hanging around to apologize or ask if anyone in the house could spare a square, either.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Meanwhile, photographs of crew members while still on the ship show many of them hanging around together in a hallway while waiting to be interviewed by health authorities, covering their mouths and noses with only flimsy masks.
—Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hang around
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Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 25 May 2026
New York hung around for six games against the Indiana Pacers last year, but Game 1 of that series included a 17-point comeback by the Pacers, who needed Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer-beating shot — which bounced off the rim, went skyward, then fell in — to force overtime.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 24 May 2026
This mountain lion wasn't hanging around to apologize or ask if anyone in the house could spare a square, either.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Meanwhile, photographs of crew members while still on the ship show many of them hanging around together in a hallway while waiting to be interviewed by health authorities, covering their mouths and noses with only flimsy masks.
—Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hang around
Cite this Entry
“Hang around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang%20around. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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