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

Maybe that’s the point, but Sorogoyen leaves that question hanging in the balance and with us too detached at this point to care about answering it. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2026

The virus can hang in the air for up to two hours. —Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 17 May 2026

Flowers hang in clusters of two to five blooms and provide an early nectar source for hummingbirds and butterflies. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 May 2026

But more impressive than the planes is one veteran hanging in the hangar. —Noel Brennan, CBS News, 15 May 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.