hung 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhəŋ How to pronounce hung (audio)
Definition of hungnext
as in bowing
bending downward or forward stood penitently before the judge with a hung head while he received his sentence

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hung

2 of 2

verb

variants also hanged
past tense of hang
1
as in dangled
to place on an elevated point without support from below hang your coats on the coat rack in the hall

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2
as in depended
to be determined by, based on, or subject (to) our plan to go to the amusement park has all been worked out; now it just hangs on the weather

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3
as in drooped
to be limp from lack of water or vigor as they neared the end of the long, hard march all but the most hardy were hanging, and some could barely put one foot in front of the other

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in hovered
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air hanging just above the horizon was a little pink cloud

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in based
to find a basis that's very slim evidence upon which to hang a theory

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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 hung
Adjective
As Cameron adjusts to life in Sowell Bay (more bonding with Ethan, who is a little hung up on Tova, plus his own potential romance with Avery, played by a peppy Sofia Black-D’Elia), Tova starts to inch her way out of it. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 May 2026 As a result of this crash, methods to detect corrosion were prioritized in the troubleshooting for hung starts. — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Overcast skies hung low over a nearby hillside in full autumn color. — Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026 In May of that year, Walzer and I sat in their kitchen and talked amid boxes waiting to be unpacked and paintings waiting to be hung. — Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hung
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hung
  1. nodding
  2. dangled
  3. depended
  4. drooped
  5. hovered
  6. based
  7. weeping
  8. swung
Adjective
  • James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.
    — Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Definition of nodding
Verb
  • The bottom of the gown featured a semi-sheer black skirt that provided a stark contrast to the strings of head-to-toe crystal fringe that dangled from Kardashian’s shoulders to the hem of her floor-length skirt.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 23 Oct. 2026
  • To neighboring countries, Europe dangled membership in and association with the EU.
    — Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of dangled
Verb
  • Resilience has never depended on assuming prevention will work every time.
    — Rick Vanover, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down statutory removal protections for agency heads depended on the idea that the agency head was exercising executive authority that must ultimately be accountable to the president.
    — C. Joseph Ross Daval, STAT, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of depended
Verb
  • In a certain weird way, that play became a turning point in a 27-19 win for the Chiefs because Stroud was visibly shaken and the Texans drooped from there.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The man raised his arms to a figure in the branches, a woman whose head drooped, hair loose, wet, falling forward across her face, her breasts.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Definition of drooped
Verb
  • Every part of Central Florida saw a significant drenching beginning Sunday morning and continuing through Monday as a result of a stubborn low pressure disturbance that hovered over the state.
    — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Student growth in math and ELA at West Aurora — a measure of how much students have improved compared with their peers — generally hovered around average compared to the rest of the state, according to ISBE’s 2026 figures.
    — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • Once entirely based in Palm Beach County, the district was redrawn to stretch from West Broward and Palm Beach counties through communities along the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee, all the way to the Gulf Coast in Collier County.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Insurance agent Ken McFeeters filed a lawsuit challenging the senator’s eligibility based on residency requirements, but the lawsuit was dismissed.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of based
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Verb
  • The pendulum has swung so far now that SpaceX seems increasingly disinterested in the US government for most contracts outside of data services, such as Starshield for military communications and observations.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Amelie’s swung open the doors on its original NoDa location in 2008.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of swung

Phrases Containing hung

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hundreds
hung
hung about
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Cite this Entry

“Hung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hung. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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