1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

hanging about

verb

present participle of hang about, British
1
as in hanging (around or out)
to spend time doing nothing a tea house near campus where many university students could be seen hanging about

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in playing
to spend time in aimless activity we'll be hanging about at the pub if you need us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hanging about President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder. — USA Today, 17 June 2026 In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October. — Elliott Harrell, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025 Orion Nebula Those viewing from a dark sky location may also notice a blurry patch of light hanging about 5 degrees below Orion's belt. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025 The student was found hanging about 50 feet up in a tree with the open chute, Metro Nashville Police Department said on X Saturday. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging about
  1. kicking back
  2. playing
  3. kicking around
  4. fooling around
  5. lounging
  6. messing around
Verb
  • Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill and left guard Donovan Jackson immediately turned toward the sideline to motion for the medical team, with Murray lying on his side and his legs kicking back and forth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Downstairs, a dedicated lounge features a multi-screen entertainment setup, creating the perfect spot for game days, movie nights or simply kicking back with family and friends.
    — Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of kicking back
Verb
  • Gilbert was raised in Coral Springs, Florida, playing in several bands before forming New Found Glory in 1997 with Jordan Pundik, Steve Klein, Ian Grushka and Joe Marino, who was quickly replaced by Cyrus Bolooki.
    — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Iamaleava looked much more comfortable and confident in the pocket, despite playing through multiple injuries.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of playing
Verb
  • If there had been a Season 2, Uziel was already kicking around some ideas.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The fantasy of a cultural architecture that’s as flexible as culture itself has been kicking around for more than 100 years, and there’s something obscurely disappointing about seeing a technocratic version get put into practice.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 2026
Definition of kicking around
Verb
  • Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.
    — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of fooling around
Verb
  • The space was filled with a label-loving mix of South Koreans and international guests—many flaunting Hermès baby Birkins and Dior Book Totes—lounging on benches or checking in and out.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Tucked into the prime window spot for reading and lounging is the Lyon Daybed from Boyd & Allister, upholstered in de Le Cuona Ragamuffin.
    — Alex Beggs, Architectural Digest, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of lounging
Verb
  • There will be no more messing around with draggy eye pencils or the emperor’s new eye shadows.
    — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Both of France’s sons seem to appreciate imaginative play over messing around with action figures, something that makes perfect sense given France’s own love for the arts.
    — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of messing around

Browse Nearby Words

hanging
hanging about
hanging around
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hanging about.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20about. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All