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Synonyms
Examples of hang back in a Sentence
even though the young mother wanted the job, she still hung back because she wasn't sure if she should spend time away from her family
Recent Examples on the Web
Hinrichs’ best memory so far was at a stop a couple of years ago when a family brought a disabled child but were hanging back from the train to avoid the tussle of the crowd.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2024
Victor hangs back at Oz’s place while Oz and Sofia go down to the docks to have a look at Alberto’s big mystery shipment.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
Mezrich’s book agent hung back, while his film agent worked to attach potential stars and took the PDF out to studios and streamers to create a bidding war.
—Simon Van Zuylen-Wood, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Cheptegei hung back and then, at the right moment, turned on the burners.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 2 Aug. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near hang back
Cite this Entry
“Hang back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang%20back. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
hang back
verb1
: to linger behind others
hung back to wait for the slower children
2
: to be unwilling to do something : hesitate
always hangs back when everyone else is dancing
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