as in parasite
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
almost overnight, the singer was a star, and almost overnight, he was surrounded by hangers-on who wanted something
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Recent Examples of hanger-on
Which interpretation lands best with Subramanian will be made clear at Friday’s sentencing hearing — for which Combs, as well as various family members and hangers-on, will be in NYC’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
That’s a missed opportunity to be a legitimate hanger-on in the wild-card race.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Mike Appel led the session from behind the board, with the engineer Louis Lahav at his side and a scattering of staff, friends, and other hangers-on lurking here and there.
—Peter Ames Carlin, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
In nearly every comics appearance, Olsen is inherently something of a dweeb; a hanger-on to Lois and Clark who looks up to them and doesn’t always get respect back.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hanger-on
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
That’s a missed opportunity to be a legitimate hanger-on in the wild-card race.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Mike Appel led the session from behind the board, with the engineer Louis Lahav at his side and a scattering of staff, friends, and other hangers-on lurking here and there.
—Peter Ames Carlin, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
In nearly every comics appearance, Olsen is inherently something of a dweeb; a hanger-on to Lois and Clark who looks up to them and doesn’t always get respect back.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hanger-on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanger-on
Noun
-
Extreme temperatures, parasites, viruses, fungi, and bacteria are all common dangers.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
While striped skunk is edible, Coalition Brewing warns against its strong odor, scavenger diet and susceptibility to parasites.—
Stuart Dyos,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Farrell, by contrast, plays a brusque, dim henchman named Alec, who’s there mostly to look tough and briefly talk about Star Wars.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
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Besides being mugged by one of Iza’s henchmen, a brick was thrown through his window and his car was vandalized.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Scrub the area with a non-abrasive sponge or cloth.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
5 Nov. 2025
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To spot-clean, apply a small amount of water with a sponge and scrub gently.—
Jennifer Beck Goldblatt,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hanger-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanger-on. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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