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
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
-
Spending time reading with, singing with, or playing games with close pals and family is at the heart of Danish happiness and hygge-ness.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Karen was last seen playing outside her home on January 11, 1996, according to CNN affiliate KOLD.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, the board opts for the happy-go-lucky concert attendee kicking back a beer or two as its foil to scary THC use.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
There’s nothing wrong with spending your vacation at the beach, on a shopping spree in Paris or New York, or kicking back at a fishing cabin.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Bobby and Mickey were kicking around this idea of taking Grateful Dead music and modernizing it, technologically.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Morgan had been messing around with a curveball, but didn’t actually throw it until a workout at Petco Park a week before the draft.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Advertisement Soon afterward, however, at a Red Bull event in Austria, Goepper began messing around on a quarterpipe.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Benedict, a diva, is preparing to soak away his troubles in a bath, lounging about in his robe and period-appropriate underwear.—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Other slides in the carousel showed bouquets of flowers, lacy pink bras on hangers, a model freeing the nipple in a sheer lace top and matching skirt, bras in multiple color ways, and another model lounging in a chocolate-brown bra and underwear set.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With a 45% increase in unsheltered homelessness in the state, lawmakers are proposing legislation to prohibit municipalities from using general laws like trespassing against unhoused people who are simply resting or storing their belongings on public land.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Somewhere in the forests of Borneo, a spider sits perfectly still on a leaf, producing a foul smell and resting on a thin patch of white silk.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Assemble layers of pasta, ham, vegetables, mayonnaise, and seasoning before covering it and chilling the salad for at least two hours.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
-
But a small yet solid body of science does suggest that chilling these carbohydrate-rich foods after cooking them still could help people slim down.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hanging about.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20about. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
