hang around

verb

hung around; hanging around; hangs around

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

Synonyms

• abide
• dwell
• remain
• stay
• stick around
• tarry

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

Trumbull hung around in the third quarter and Tunaise drove in for a layup with less than a minute left to cut the lead to 42-35. —Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025

The clouds will probably hang around much of the night with a low around 44. —Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2025

The couple did not hang around or explain what happened, fleeing in the car. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2025

Still, Kansas hung around and even crept ahead 46-45 with just over 5 minutes remaining. —Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for hang around

• aboveground
• battleground
• belowground
• paperbound
• turnaround
• ultrasound
• underground
• wraparound
• abound
• aground
• astound
• background

Kids Definition

hang around

verb

informal

: to pass time or stay idly in or at

hung around the house all day