HANGING AROUND Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

hanging around

verb

present participle of hang around

as in remaining

to continue to be in a place for a significant amount of time if you hang around until my husband gets home, you can meet him

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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 hanging around Dorothy recalls patrons hanging around the shop for hours, running her hands along a rainbow of silk ties, and picking up tailor pins with her cousins to pass the time. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 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 One bonus has been the discovery that feline family members of various New York households especially enjoy hanging around the batteries. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026 Then there’s snake, tiger, zebra, and deer print…cow print is still hanging around too. — Fiona Ward, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2026 Christian grew up hanging around a locker room with Hall of Fame players like Davis, John Elway, Steve Atwater, Gary Zimmerman, Shannon Sharpe and others. — Sam Jane, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 Peas, mushrooms, asparagus, or whatever else is hanging around the crisper would be just as welcome. — Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026 Mosquito bites are to be expected in the warm summer months, but increasingly these pests are hanging around into autumn. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging around

Verb

But Antetokounmpo popped up quick, taking the ensuing two free throws and remaining in the game.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
The Chiefs led by three and the Raiders snapped the ball from the KC 48 with 10 seconds remaining and no timeouts.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of remaining

Verb

The matter was highly contentious in the community, with residents arriving at Inkster City Hall 90 minutes before the council meeting began and waiting outside to speak during public comment.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
After so much talk leading up to and coming out of the game in Melbourne, Australia, about the Los Angeles Rams waiting until late to fly there — and lost 27-7 to San Francisco — the NFL does not appear close to dictating when teams must travel.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of waiting

Verb

Advertisement At the beginning of May, separatists turned in a petition with hundreds of thousands of signatures to push for a vote on leaving Canada, while opponents collected signatures in support of staying.

— Chantelle Lee, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Brown had allegedly been staying at the barracks as a guest of a trooper stationed there for the summer.

— Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of staying

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“Hanging around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20around. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hanging around

verb

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