as in remaining
to continue to be in a place for a significant amount of time
if you hang around until my husband gets home, you can meet him
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hanging around
The combustion process can also create new hazards; scientists were surprised to find airborne nanoparticles of hexavalent chromium, the contaminant made famous by the movie Erin Brockovich, hanging around cleanup sites.
—
Katharine Gammon, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Each point helped stave off the Buffs, who kept hanging around.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
Later, things get uncomfortable when a group of high school boys start hanging around the bleachers and heckling the team.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026
Witnesses reportedly told police King had been hanging around outside the apartment, inquiring about Toney’s whereabouts, and was seen standing next to his body after the gunshots rang out.
—Tom Olsen, Twin Cities, 14 Jan. 2026
Chaves thought there could be movie in that relationship, wherein a monster was essentially hanging around with a saint.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 14 Jan. 2026
Dodgers keep ‘hanging around the backboard’ Waiting out the market is a familiar playbook for the Dodgers and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The more water that's hanging around in the fibers of your clothes after the wash, the more time your clothes are going to take to air dry.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
The set didn’t start until ten o’clock, so Nat was still hanging around as Nina and I were heading out for a bite nearby.
—James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Katharine Gammon, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Each point helped stave off the Buffs, who kept hanging around.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
Later, things get uncomfortable when a group of high school boys start hanging around the bleachers and heckling the team.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026
Witnesses reportedly told police King had been hanging around outside the apartment, inquiring about Toney’s whereabouts, and was seen standing next to his body after the gunshots rang out.
—Tom Olsen, Twin Cities, 14 Jan. 2026
Chaves thought there could be movie in that relationship, wherein a monster was essentially hanging around with a saint.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 14 Jan. 2026
Dodgers keep ‘hanging around the backboard’ Waiting out the market is a familiar playbook for the Dodgers and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The more water that's hanging around in the fibers of your clothes after the wash, the more time your clothes are going to take to air dry.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
The set didn’t start until ten o’clock, so Nat was still hanging around as Nina and I were heading out for a bite nearby.
—James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging around
Verb
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Congress has already approved six of its 12 annual spending bills, but the remaining funding accounts for 75% of all discretionary spending.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Jan. 2026
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China National Nuclear Corporation holds a 51% stake, while China Guodian Corporation owns the remaining 49%.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That’s bad news for hundreds of middling private equity firms waiting for a lifeboat that may never come.—
Hank Tucker,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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But others waiting appeared to burn with the indignation of an era in US-Cuban relations that until recently had been relegated to the history books.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But putting on a tux and celebrating with an administration that is rapidly falling out of step with the global public — which their shareholders are members of — is different from staying silent.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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The appeals court, however, said staying the injunction serves the public interest by preventing federal agents from hesitating while carrying out lawful duties.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Are those customers sticking around?—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Is winter sticking around or is an early spring ahead?—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hanging around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20around. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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