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
In the first half of Hurry Up Tomorrow, Tesfaye worries about his ever-weakening voice amid a relentless tour cycle where he’s tormented and inundated with partying hangers-on and lewd friend turned manager Lee (Barry Keoghan).
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 May 2025
The Wild Card is mind-numbing showcase of boxing photos, sweat, noise and hangers-on.
—Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
In a government that is already owned and operated by far-right cranks and hangers-on, Bongino can only do so much damage on his own.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Matthew is a classic hanger-on, whose own identity is mutable, molding himself to whoever is around him and shining their light on him.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hanger-on
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 May 2025
The Wild Card is mind-numbing showcase of boxing photos, sweat, noise and hangers-on.
—Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
In a government that is already owned and operated by far-right cranks and hangers-on, Bongino can only do so much damage on his own.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Matthew is a classic hanger-on, whose own identity is mutable, molding himself to whoever is around him and shining their light on him.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hanger-on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanger-on
Noun
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The knowledge that my life only matters as a body for labor feeds on my heart like a parasite.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
-
The analysis also unveiled other species of bacteria and a parasite which had all previously been unknown to science.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Malaparte, by then, was making his name as one of Mussolini’s highbrow henchmen.—
Thomas Meaney,
New Yorker,
2 July 2025
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The mosasaur has henchman spinosaurs – a nice touch – while a titanosaurus couple shares a loving moment (which gets interrupted by some pesky humans).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hanger-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanger-on. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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