as in hesitating
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
she hung back in offering her opinion about her daughter's career choices because it wasn't her business
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hanging back
Dad is hanging back in the doorway.
—
Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
After Fester fried the hospital's power grid, allowing the LOIS patients to escape and begin attacking Judi, Wednesday noticed that one female patient was hanging back.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
After Fester fried the hospital's power grid, allowing the LOIS patients to escape and begin attacking Judi, Wednesday noticed that one female patient was hanging back.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging back
Verb
-
Despite unified denouncements of antisemitism, Fetterman criticized colleagues for hesitating to fully confront anti-Israel hostility.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
18 Dec. 2025
-
After a 5% rebound rally, the benchmark is hesitating a bit around 6850, comfortably near the upper end of a two-month range but perhaps marking some time to gather itself ahead of next week's Fed meeting.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The other half sees an economy on the verge of faltering, with rising unemployment, that needs easier money to avoid recession.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 Dec. 2025
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Efforts to advance a US peace plan for Gaza appear to be faltering over reconstruction and security challenges.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hanging back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20back. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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