hanging around

verb

present participle of hang around
as in remaining
to continue to be in a place for a significant amount of time if you hang around until my husband gets home, you can meet him

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hanging around As the daughter of two classical singers, she was used to hanging around backstage and going along with the rhythm of theatrical days. — Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026 Dorothy recalls patrons hanging around the shop for hours, running her hands along a rainbow of silk ties, and picking up tailor pins with her cousins to pass the time. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026 May Rosenberg, the wife of the critic Harold Rosenberg, once visited Krasner’s studio and assumed that the man hanging around in dungarees, not saying much of anything, was an intellectually disabled janitor. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 And no one was hanging around Jane Doe’s former sorority house, except for a round-the-clock security guard parked in the driveway. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026 One bonus has been the discovery that feline family members of various New York households especially enjoy hanging around the batteries. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026 Then there’s snake, tiger, zebra, and deer print…cow print is still hanging around too. — Fiona Ward, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2026 Christian grew up hanging around a locker room with Hall of Fame players like Davis, John Elway, Steve Atwater, Gary Zimmerman, Shannon Sharpe and others. — Sam Jane, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 Peas, mushrooms, asparagus, or whatever else is hanging around the crisper would be just as welcome. — Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging around
  1. remaining
  2. waiting
  3. staying
  4. sticking around
Verb
  • The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group of state legislators and private-sector members, cast it as part of a growing bipartisan movement and urged the remaining states to follow.
    — Lara Murray-Sterzel, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Capital One management said that headwind would roughly offset the remaining Discover synergies.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of remaining
Verb
  • His hands hovered waist high, eyes watching the downturning arcs of his teammates’ shots, waiting for a pass that never came.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In the meantime, renters and would-be buyers are left wanting and waiting for more and better inventory to end the nonstop searching and bidding wars.
    — Dave Carlin, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of waiting
Verb
  • Nelson Chai, DailyPay CEO, will join CNBC's Sharon Epperson to discuss the challenges employees face staying financially afloat amid the rising costs of groceries, gas and everyday personal expenses.
    — Ian Thomas,Colleen McKown, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • While everyday Democrats threw their hands up in the air and wondered what on earth was happening, Garland’s Justice Department hemmed and hawed about staying impartial, objective, and neutral in the face of violent authoritarianism.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of staying
Verb
  • Based on recent comments from Spoelstra, Richards is likely sticking around into the regular season.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Torrey Lovullo is sticking around; the Diamondbacks manager has signed a two-year extension.
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of sticking around

Browse Nearby Words

hanging about
hanging around
hanging (around or out)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hanging around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20around. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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