hang in

verb

hung in; hanging in; hangs in

intransitive verb

informal : to refuse to be discouraged or intimidated : to keep going, trying, or working in a difficult situation

… did not hang in long enough to win even a battle.

—Marvin E. Frankel

Hoping to hang in until some series he works on runs five years and makes him $50 million in syndication …

—Chris Chase

—often used in the phrase hang in there

If there was ever a mismatched couple it was this one, but the children begged them to hang in there.

—Joseph Wambaugh

If she hung in there long enough, he would change. It just took a lot of patience with a little reasoning.

—Gloria Naylor

Examples of hang in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The future of the school is now hanging in the balance after the Baltimore Board of Education announced its possible closure, citing funding issues and low enrollment. —Denise Koch, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026

The works are mostly hung in the tribal offices and not on display to the general public, said Rockwell Wagner, David’s younger brother who oversees sales and exhibitions of his artwork. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2026

One year later, after a 20-18 season-finale loss to the Browns, in his final media availability of a third consecutive season watching the playoffs from home, his last answer hung in the air and turned the temperature of the 2026 pressure cooker up to high. —Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026

Meanwhile, Oliver’s life hangs in the balance. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hang in

verb

informal

: to refuse to be discouraged or frightened

Hang in there, kid! Don't quit.