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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Recent Examples of hang back
Seeing the body language of his double-play partner, second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa hung back as well.
—
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The two of them caught food poisoning and had to hang back at the hotel, arriving on the Bravado only two hours before the first guests.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
The security guards curse and hang back.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
But the bigger picture for Iran’s oil revenue is darkening as other potential buyers hang back.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hang back
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The two of them caught food poisoning and had to hang back at the hotel, arriving on the Bravado only two hours before the first guests.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
The security guards curse and hang back.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
But the bigger picture for Iran’s oil revenue is darkening as other potential buyers hang back.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hang back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hang back
Verb
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Survey respondents shared multiple ways that unemployment can have a negative impact including cancelling dates for financial reasons and hesitating to even ask someone out at all.—
Gili Malinsky,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2026
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As investors watched closely, even Republicans who hesitated to condemn the probe were careful to extol the virtues of an independent central bank.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries that falter under heat, thermal batteries use molten salts as electrolytes, which become ionically conductive only when heated.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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Pass protection faltered, the run game stalled and Love couldn’t find a rhythm through the air as Green Bay welcomed Chicago back into the game and the Bears once again took advantage to end their archrival’s season in stunning fashion.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hang back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hang%20back. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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