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

Along the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, a sweeping spiral staircase winds along the side of a white building, flowing upward toward the roof like a puff of smoke hanging in the air. — Wendy Wang, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2026

Traditionally, tobacco was harvested by hand, hung in a log barn and cured to a golden-brown with a wood fire that had to be stoked day and night. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

At Pocket-Greenhaven, dozens of pans hang in sturdy plastic bags surrounded by shelves of glossy cookbooks. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Embiid appeared to wonder during the national anthem where the Knicks' championship banner was hanging in the rafters as James sat nearby on the bench with his head bowed and hands clasped. — CBS News, 21 Oct. 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.