hang around

1. Keep company or consort with someone, as in The younger campers loved to hang around the older ones . [Mid-1800s] Also see hang out , def. 5.

2. Spend time idly, loiter, as in Every afternoon they could be found hanging around the mall . [Mid-1800s] Also see hang out , def. 4.

Example Sentences

“Never tell me anything. But what happens is worth hanging around for.”

From Los Angeles Times

After letting Chattanooga hang around for most of the first half, USC fully clamped down in the second, suffocating the Mocs with their length.

From Los Angeles Times

Sierra Leone broke 11th in the 14-horse field and hung around midpack until far turn when he started to make his move.

From Los Angeles Times

At the recent Football Writers’ Dinner in Manchester, he hung around and spoke to journalists long after he had collected his award for winning the FA Cup.

From BBC

“Fumigation is just unsustainable. It gets everywhere, it drifts for miles and it hangs around for days. It causes cancer, and there’s no avoiding it. And we see that from these air monitoring results.”

From Los Angeles Times

More About Hang Around

What does hang around mean?

Hang around means to lounge or linger or to spend time with someone.

If you are hanging around a place, you’re passing time there without doing much, as in My job as a mall security guard meant I spent most of my time hanging around the mall.

If you are hanging around another person, you are keeping them company, as in I like to hang around with my friends on the weekend.

Example: We spent most of our summer vacation hanging around the lake and relaxing.

Where does hang around come from?

The first records of hang around come from the mid-1800s. It combines the words hang, meaning “to attach to allow free movement,” and around, meaning “somewhere near or about.”

Sometimes, hang around implies that a person is unwelcome, is up to no good, or is a trespasser. For example, someone might say I saw some suspicious men hanging around the bank.

A similar negative sense is implied when a person uses hang around in reference to people or a group they don’t like, as in Son, I don’t want you hanging around those slick business types. You can’t trust them!

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for hang around?

• loiter
• linger
• lounge
• hang out
• associate with
• fraternize with
• mingle

What are some words that share a root or word element with hang around? 

• hang
• around

What are some words that often get used in discussing hang around?

• idle
• hover
• friends
• group
• associates
• trouble

How is hang around used in real life?

Hang around is a common phrase that means to spend time somewhere or with someone.

Getting paid to hang around the mall for six hours. There's no one here!

— Tyler Thompson (@curseofmight) December 21, 2011

Started running the vacuum this morning and the dog went upstairs and back to bed. She's been hanging around the kids too long.

— Vicki (@Vyckster) October 4, 2010

Great win tonight!! Thanks to everybody who hung around after to hang out with me! #7inarow

— Chandler Parsons (@ChandlerParsons) February 13, 2014

Try using hang around!

True or False?

If you are hanging around with your sister, you are avoiding each other.