1
as in keeping up
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2
as in holding on
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging on
Verb
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If your skin begins looking red or pink, your body may be having a hard time keeping up, a good indicator to take a break in the shade.—
Julia James,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026 -
For me, keeping up with bills was never a huge problem.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Amid all that, Varsity Blues — about a Texas high-school football team rebelling against its abusive coach and holding on to one last gasp of glory before graduation — got a little lost.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
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Also, Southern California visits Nebraska with both sides holding on for dear life.—
Jordan Mendoza,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To make sure the recipes and processes are carefully repeated, Wright and Quick will be hanging around Big Q for a few weeks, helping Tolle.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
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Nashville Predators Nashville traded away four players at the deadline, including Nick Blankenburg to Colorado, and yet is still hanging around in the wild-card race.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For now, retailers who sell kratom products are simply carrying on until they’re investigated by county health inspectors.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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The remainder of the trailer flicks at these while carrying on with her suggestion that Erika is up to no good.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Long Beach father Rhett Pascual isn't losing hope despite waiting for weeks to be put on the waiting list to receive a life-saving heart transplant.—
Hunter Sowards,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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But in 2019, fire officials shifted the protocol to waiting until a call went through a triage analysis.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One risk of players sticking around for years as graduate student-athletes is that college sports might morph into something more like minor league sports, with seasoned players in their mid-20s (or older) occupying roster spots that would otherwise go to younger college students.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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Malachi Smith is sticking around a little longer.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Hanging on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20on. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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