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
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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
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Recent Examples of hanging about
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
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
Verb
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The Cubs went from playing in 100-plus degree weather for over a week in Arizona to wind chills in the upper 20s on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field in their 6-2 win over the Angels.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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These are the public spaces that guests mill about in—sipping a berry cooler at the long bar, enjoying a glass of malbec and a read by the stove, or playing monopoly at the communal table.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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This has a similar curved design, and the chenille-like fabric lends this a coziness for kicking back and curling up.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
3 Mar. 2026
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The real issue is the compressor cycling off and then kicking back on, which can be abrupt enough to wake you.—
Larry Magid,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Both tracks — which had been kicking around since the Chinese Democracy sessions and were demoed even earlier — were finally released in December 2025 to coincide with GNR’s 2026 tour announcement.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2026
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Like Prince William and Kate Middleton often do on sportier engagements, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed off their soccer skills, kicking around a ball on Wednesday.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2026
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So, get ready to travel to Sweden for a taste of adolescence full of smiles, tears, dancing, messing around – and skateboards.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jules seems to be living the high life, lounging in a penthouse in front of an easel as someone’s muse or, perhaps, sugar baby.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
1 Apr. 2026
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Kid Cudi is lounging in a colorful attic much like the one in his childhood home in Cleveland.—
Kailyn Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology confirmed that octopuses are genuinely asleep during this active phase rather than simply resting, and that the state closely resembles REM sleep in vertebrates, including humans, per The Guardian.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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The Okinawa researchers confirmed the animals are genuinely asleep during this phase, not simply resting and that the state closely resembles vertebrate REM sleep, per The Guardian.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Thankfully, Janus Films will release Kurosawa’s bone-chilling short at IFC Center in New York City starting this weekend.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
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At about midday Tuesday, the Puerto Vallarta resident posted an image of a plastic tub with what appeared to be a pinto spiny lobster chilling inside.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hanging about.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20about. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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