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
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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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By July that year, Kelly, this time playing for England, famously scored that penalty against Spain in the Euros final, securing the Lionesses their second Euros title in a row.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Cross has not scored while playing eight minutes.—
Gary Bedore
March 4,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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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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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
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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
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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
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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
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The images, which were taken in 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa, show Dion lounging on her back, gazing off into the distance, and enjoying the sun.—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
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Spend the weekend lounging on Siesta Beach, paddleboarding or kayaking at Turtle Beach, and snorkeling at the Point of Rocks reef, where colorful marine life abounds.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The post featured a precious photo of the prairie dog resting flat on his back on a fuzzy pillow.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Mar. 2026
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There was Hell, in the middle of the cover, his right hand resting on his bleeding chest.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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 8 Mar. 2026.
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