Synonyms
Examples of hang back in a Sentence
even though the young mother wanted the job, she still hung back because she wasn't sure if she should spend time away from her family
Recent Examples on the Web
On Valentine’s Day, Bortolami — who’s regarded as one of the league’s most formidable players — hung back to let a handful of original members steer the evening.
—
Julia Halperin, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024
James shared a big hug with Natalia Bryant, 19, and also hugged Bianka Bella, 6, while Capri, 3, hung back shyly behind Natalia.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023
In a shock ending, Lopez asks one member to hang back — not Affleck.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024
Kushner has been relegated to a behind-the-scenes role now after his father-in-law reportedly asked him to hang back.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 2 Feb. 2024
Gary Carr’s Clyde X hangs back and judges Malcolm X and then doesn’t really do anything because even though Clyde X was a real figure, he’s been morphed into a composite.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2024
The little girl simply did not want to head out the door to summer camp, finding any and all excuses to hang back.
—Maureen Salamon, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023
The jury, many of whom hung back for a meet-and-greet with the actor, went with Spacey’s version.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2023
Meyer Shank Racing team owner Mike Shank says Pagenaud already plans to hang back from the heat, noise and chaos of the doubleheader weekend at Iowa in hopes of healing up for IndyCar's next stop on the calendar.
—Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 18 July 2023
Julia Halperin, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024
James shared a big hug with Natalia Bryant, 19, and also hugged Bianka Bella, 6, while Capri, 3, hung back shyly behind Natalia.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023
In a shock ending, Lopez asks one member to hang back — not Affleck.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024
Kushner has been relegated to a behind-the-scenes role now after his father-in-law reportedly asked him to hang back.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 2 Feb. 2024
Gary Carr’s Clyde X hangs back and judges Malcolm X and then doesn’t really do anything because even though Clyde X was a real figure, he’s been morphed into a composite.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2024
The little girl simply did not want to head out the door to summer camp, finding any and all excuses to hang back.
—Maureen Salamon, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023
The jury, many of whom hung back for a meet-and-greet with the actor, went with Spacey’s version.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2023
Meyer Shank Racing team owner Mike Shank says Pagenaud already plans to hang back from the heat, noise and chaos of the doubleheader weekend at Iowa in hopes of healing up for IndyCar's next stop on the calendar.
—Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 18 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hang back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hang back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang%20back. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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