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

• abide
• dwell
• remain
• stay
• stick around
• tarry

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

Plus, the Star Wars timeline is massive, and with the Maul-centric show showing us more of the galaxy's criminal activity under the reign of the Empire, the door is wide open for both Clone Wars veterans to hang around a while longer. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 12 May 2025

More to the point, there’s no telling if Golden State can manage to hang around for a sixth game in Curry’s absence. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 May 2025

Jennifer says the move went smoothly until Doyle decided to hang around— and stayed with Lori in her new place for days. —Chris Young Ritzen, CBS News, 10 May 2025

But the club is still hanging around, a bit over .500 in the AL West. —Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

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