hang on

verb

hung on; hanging on; hangs on

intransitive verb

1

: to keep hold : hold on to something

2

: to persist tenaciously

a cold that hung on all spring

3

: hold on sense 2

Phrases

hang on to

: to hold, grip, or keep tenaciously

Examples of hang on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Two curtains hung on each window in this design creates crisp lines, making the room look grand. —Macie Stump, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2025

Many factors have contributed to the housing shortage, including more than a decade of below-average new home construction and homeowners hanging on to their properties longer. —Alex Veiga The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 25 Jan. 2025

Its fellow boroughs are islands or parts of islands; the Bronx hangs on to Manhattan and Queens and Brooklyn, with Staten Island trailing at the end of the long towrope of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and keeps the whole business from drifting away on a strong outgoing tide. —CBS News, 24 Jan. 2025

This neatly tallies with previous measurements of the distance of the Coma Cluster, but hang on — what does the standard model have to say? —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1719, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hang on

verb

1

: to keep hold or possession especially tightly

hang on or you'll fall

hang on to your money

2

: to continue stubbornly

a cold that hung on all spring