as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
she hung back in offering her opinion about her daughter's career choices because it wasn't her business
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hang back
However, people with certain skin conditions should hang back.
—
Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 8 Feb. 2025
But the congestion around National Airport, one of the country’s busiest public airspaces, requires particular adeptness and a willingness to hang back if necessary to let passenger jets take off or land safely.
—Mark Walker, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
Pick up a few of the travel prints and turn them into a series to frame and hang back home.
—Lane Nieset, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Devine kept Bunny on a leash, hanging back a safe distance.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hang back
Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 8 Feb. 2025
But the congestion around National Airport, one of the country’s busiest public airspaces, requires particular adeptness and a willingness to hang back if necessary to let passenger jets take off or land safely.
—Mark Walker, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
Pick up a few of the travel prints and turn them into a series to frame and hang back home.
—Lane Nieset, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Devine kept Bunny on a leash, hanging back a safe distance.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hang back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hang back
Verb
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) hesitated to affirm his support for Schumer’s continued leadership.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
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As good as the night was against an A’s team that has now lost 22 of 26 games, Soriano hesitated to call it his best.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Ocean protection efforts are faltering, with policy talk far outpacing tangible results.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Doctoring provides powerful tools for getting under the hood, but writing offers ones that dig into the interstitial spaces where our more utilitarian tools falter.—
Danielle Ofri,
New Yorker,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hang back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hang%20back. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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