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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Simmons told the magazine that the two knew each other before the Apprentice from hanging around the same nightclubs, but that being president is a very different job than hosting a game show. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025 Gamble has been hanging around for a few episodes, brightening up scenes with his unabashed enthusiasm for Starfleet in general and his assignment on the Enterprise in particular. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025 The opening scenes do a lot of heavy lifting, as 11-year-old Polly (Heger) is left hanging around outside a school in New Mexico for her mother to arrive. Damon Wise, Deadline, 31 July 2025 That had been hanging around #2 for a while, but now that Untamed has been out this long and interest in The Hunting Wives hasn’t waned, that’s enough to get it to the top. Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for hang around

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of hang around was in 1823

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hang around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang%20around. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

hang around

verb
informal
: to pass time or stay idly in or at
hung around the house all day
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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