hang in

verb

hung in; hanging in; hangs in

intransitive verb

informal : to refuse to be discouraged or intimidated : to keep going, trying, or working in a difficult situation

… did not hang in long enough to win even a battle.

—Marvin E. Frankel

Hoping to hang in until some series he works on runs five years and makes him $50 million in syndication …

—Chris Chase

—often used in the phrase hang in there

If there was ever a mismatched couple it was this one, but the children begged them to hang in there.

—Joseph Wambaugh

If she hung in there long enough, he would change. It just took a lot of patience with a little reasoning.

—Gloria Naylor

Examples of hang in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The second half was: 5 of 13, including six straight misses during a key stretch with the game hanging in the balance. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025

The future seemed to hang in the balance after this one pivotal event. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 7 Feb. 2025

Our nation’s physical and mental well-being hangs in the balance. —Todd Smith, Sportico.com, 7 Feb. 2025

There is a banner hanging in that stadium that only one team gets a year. —Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hang in

verb

informal

: to refuse to be discouraged or frightened

Hang in there, kid! Don't quit.