as in parasites
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
almost overnight, the singer was a star, and almost overnight, he was surrounded by hangers-on who wanted something
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Recent Examples of hangers-on
The world has gotten a glimpse of the fawning, skeezy shamelessness of his famous hangers-on, but not enough to criminally implicate them.
—
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Callie is popular and vivacious, perpetually surrounded by admirers and various hangers-on (Audrey Grace Marshall’s Cara is hellbent on usurping Minnie’s place in Callie’s life, while her himbo-esque boyfriend Brad is given wonderful dimension through Beck Nolan’s sneaky-good performance).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
That transition is likely one of the reasons Welch spent the night surrounded by people eager to get a word in—though the rangy scribe was often seen looking over the heads of his hangers-on, trying to catch the eye of his tween nephew, who noted that this was his first-ever fashion show.
—Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
No pop artist has ever survived haters, handlers and hangers-on without a scratch.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
In one of its most demanding assignments of recent memory, the San Francisco Opera Chorus led by John Keene embodies one population after another — monkeys, undersea dwellers, gods and heavenly hangers-on — and does it with power and cogency.
—Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025
Meynecke said his footage suggested the whales found their hangers-on annoying.
—CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
During the 2024 election, Amazon’s Prime Video tapped Brian Williams to moderate a conversation-heavy Election Night hangout with a large crowd of journalists, influencers and hangers-on.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
The ultimate goal, then, seems to be nothing less than the complete supplanting of MAGA with a new political movement—an angry, ultra-conspiratorial, unbiblical, neo-pagan movement of misfits and their hangers-on.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Callie is popular and vivacious, perpetually surrounded by admirers and various hangers-on (Audrey Grace Marshall’s Cara is hellbent on usurping Minnie’s place in Callie’s life, while her himbo-esque boyfriend Brad is given wonderful dimension through Beck Nolan’s sneaky-good performance).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
That transition is likely one of the reasons Welch spent the night surrounded by people eager to get a word in—though the rangy scribe was often seen looking over the heads of his hangers-on, trying to catch the eye of his tween nephew, who noted that this was his first-ever fashion show.
—Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
No pop artist has ever survived haters, handlers and hangers-on without a scratch.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
In one of its most demanding assignments of recent memory, the San Francisco Opera Chorus led by John Keene embodies one population after another — monkeys, undersea dwellers, gods and heavenly hangers-on — and does it with power and cogency.
—Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025
Meynecke said his footage suggested the whales found their hangers-on annoying.
—CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
During the 2024 election, Amazon’s Prime Video tapped Brian Williams to moderate a conversation-heavy Election Night hangout with a large crowd of journalists, influencers and hangers-on.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
The ultimate goal, then, seems to be nothing less than the complete supplanting of MAGA with a new political movement—an angry, ultra-conspiratorial, unbiblical, neo-pagan movement of misfits and their hangers-on.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hangers-on
parasites
Noun
-
Greenland Sharks Are Effective Hunters Many Greenland sharks are partially blind due to parasites on their eyes.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In the second stage, the parasites invade the brain and central nervous system, causing severe neurological problems including confusion, dramatic disruptions to sleep patterns and, in advanced cases, coma.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hangers-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hangers-on. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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