1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

hang on

verb

Definition of hang onnext
1
as in to carry on

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in to hold on

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hang on In defiance of the calendar, here are 50 outdoor concerts in the weeks ahead to hang on to that last part of summer. — Kayla Samoy, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 If Wisconsin has a warmer fall season, wasps could hang on longer than usual. — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2026 The Alpine car simply isn’t in the same league as those from Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari over a race distance, leaving Gasly unable to hang on at the front. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 In the first clip, five white shirts hang on a clothesline before the camera pans to a visibly pregnant Ciara, wearing a white tank top and jeans, her hair in rollers. — Emma Banks, InStyle, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hang on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hang on
  1. carry on
  2. hold on
  3. keep up
  4. hang around
  5. dig in
  6. wait
  7. persevere
  8. stick around
Verb
  • In the tangled greenery of a Ugandan national park, mountain gorillas sit among the leaves, calmly carrying on as tourists trek into their forest home.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Still, Sheeran carried on with his tour over the weekend, addressing the controversy and expressing a middling stance on Israel’s war in Gaza.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of carry on
Verb
  • Bryce Underwood threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan early in the fourth quarter -- their second scoring connection of the game -- but the Wolverines (3-1, 0-1) could not make enough plays on either sides of the ball to hold on for the win.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026
  • He was held on a $250,000 cash bond and was scheduled to appear in Norwich Superior Court on Friday.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of hold on
Verb
  • The next time temperatures soar to 100 degrees or plummet to 10, New Yorkers shouldn’t wonder if the power grid can keep up with air conditioners or heaters.
    — Mark Levine, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • That way the property is kept up until the owner is ready to redevelop it in the future.
    — Debbie Elliott, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of keep up
Verb
  • Mosquito bites are to be expected in the warm summer months, but increasingly these pests are hanging around into autumn.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • This set is sublime for hanging around the house without feeling sloppy.
    — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of hang around
Verb
  • On an archaeological dig in Sulawesi, an island in modern-day Indonesia, Brumm and his colleagues excavated some very old human remains.
    — Pien Huang, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Know More Republican leaders are preparing for Democratic opponents of the college sports bill to dig in, dragging out the rest of the schedule.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of dig in
Verb
  • The nine-seat counter area is often full on both weekdays and weekends, and customers sometimes wait 1 1/2 hours to be seated during peak hours, the shop said.
    — Masayuki Oi Japan News, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The implants use passive electronic components that consume essentially no power while waiting for a signal.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of wait
Verb
  • As a result, Price matured much quicker than the other kids in the neighborhood while Butler persevered against cancer.
    — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Today, with support from his adoptive family, Champ is an accomplished therapy dog who shows others how to persevere when life throws unexpected curveballs.
    — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of persevere
Verb
  • Sheeran didn’t elaborate whether this last-minute backing band would stick around for later dates on the tour.
    — Brendan Menapace, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The image of Norton on a bucking bronco points to another reason why the growing pool of creative talent that Jaques has lured into his path — legitimately or sneakily — have stuck around.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of stick around

Browse Nearby Words

hangmen
hang on
hang one on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hang on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hang%20on. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All