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

Double hardwood ham, oven-roasted turkey, Serrano ham and criollo ham that reached its seven-day limit on Sunday had been allowed to hang around until Tuesday. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2025

Most of the time, Kuzma is content to hang around the three-point line while Antetokounmpo and Lillard work. —Brian Sampson, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

English tried to hang around and four points from Darvens Alcime trimmed the deficit to 42-34 with just over four minutes to play in the third. —Matt Feld, Boston Herald, 21 Feb. 2025

He was spotted hanging around the giraffes at Audubon Zoo. —Rick Rojas, New York Times, 17 Feb. 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