hang around

verb

hung around; hanging around; hangs around
Synonyms of hang aroundnext
1
intransitive, informal
a
: to pass time idly or in relaxing or socializing
spent the day just hanging around with her friends
b
: to stay in or at a place for a period of time
had to hang around for over an hour, waiting for the bus
She didn't feel like hanging around at the club afterward …—David Calder
2
transitive informal : to pass time or stay in or at (a place) or in the company of (someone)
hung around the house all day
My mother doesn't want me hanging around the park alone.—Judy Blume
When he was 10 years old, Lester taught him-self to windsurf by hanging around the Europeans and Canadian tourists who rented boards on the beach at Varadero.—Sam Moses

Examples of hang around in a Sentence

if you hang around until my husband gets home, you can meet him
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The bridal bedchamber featured a white angora carpet and sheer white draperies that hung around the walls. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 May Rosenberg, the wife of the critic Harold Rosenberg, once visited Krasner’s studio and assumed that the man hanging around in dungarees, not saying much of anything, was an intellectually disabled janitor. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 And no one was hanging around Jane Doe’s former sorority house, except for a round-the-clock security guard parked in the driveway. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026 The shores of Clearwater Beach are packed block-to-block with resorts booked up by eager beachgoers, but the JW Marriott might just be the one to convince you to hang around a little bit longer before launching into Clearwater’s ombré coast. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hang around

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of hang around was in 1823

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hang around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang%20around. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

hang around

verb
informal
: to pass time or stay idly in or at
hung around the house all day
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