as in threatening
to remain poised to inflict harm, danger, or distress on
as long as the possibility of having to move again was hanging over them, the family couldn't really settle in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging (over)
threatening
Verb
-
Thomas’s account of Progressivism as a malign force threatening individual liberty echoes an argument developed by scholars at the conservative Claremont Institute.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026 -
Some residents interpreted the meme as a threat to shoot up Perry County High School, a local school in Linden, leading Weems to arrest Bushart for threatening to commit an act of mass violence at the school.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
20 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Hanging (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20%28over%29. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
