as in parasites
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 hangers-on
Iyanla Vanzant, the program’s host, chided Holmes for squandering much of her fortune, buying properties and paying allowances to hangers-on.
—
Daniel De Visé,
USA Today,
28 June 2026
And among the security staff, assorted suits and other hangers-on, the money promised to the players disappeared.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Decades after Julian’s vanishing there, the band and various hangers-on recall eerie incidents both in and out of the house—rooms full of occult literature; pub full of haunting photographs—as well as the glimmering stranger circling the Orpheus-esque Julian.
—
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Tiny hangers-on are tucked into pockets and cavort in crevices.
—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Most of the remaining hangers-on were staging going-out-of-business sales.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
The book orbits around an art scandal that pulls in collectors, curators, philosophers and hangers-on.
—
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
The world has gotten a glimpse of the fawning, skeezy shamelessness of his famous hangers-on, but not enough to criminally implicate them.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Callie is popular and vivacious, perpetually surrounded by admirers and various hangers-on (Audrey Grace Marshall’s Cara is hellbent on usurping Minnie’s place in Callie’s life, while her himbo-esque boyfriend Brad is given wonderful dimension through Beck Nolan’s sneaky-good performance).
—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Daniel De Visé,
USA Today,
28 June 2026
And among the security staff, assorted suits and other hangers-on, the money promised to the players disappeared.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Decades after Julian’s vanishing there, the band and various hangers-on recall eerie incidents both in and out of the house—rooms full of occult literature; pub full of haunting photographs—as well as the glimmering stranger circling the Orpheus-esque Julian.
—
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Tiny hangers-on are tucked into pockets and cavort in crevices.
—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Most of the remaining hangers-on were staging going-out-of-business sales.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
The book orbits around an art scandal that pulls in collectors, curators, philosophers and hangers-on.
—
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
The world has gotten a glimpse of the fawning, skeezy shamelessness of his famous hangers-on, but not enough to criminally implicate them.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Callie is popular and vivacious, perpetually surrounded by admirers and various hangers-on (Audrey Grace Marshall’s Cara is hellbent on usurping Minnie’s place in Callie’s life, while her himbo-esque boyfriend Brad is given wonderful dimension through Beck Nolan’s sneaky-good performance).
—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hangers-on
parasites
Noun
-
Most standard portable filters only catch parasites, so check that any filter is certified to NSF Standard 53 or 58 with a small enough pore size.
-
Most portable filters won’t catch viruses or bacteria, but one certified to NSF Standard 53 or 58 with a small enough pore size can remove parasites.
Cite this Entry
“Hangers-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hangers-on. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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