hanging

[ hang-ing ]

noun

1. the act, an instance, or the form of capital punishment carried out by suspending one by the neck from a gallows, gibbet, or the like, until dead.
2. Often hangings. something that hangs or is hung on the walls of a room, as a drapery or tapestry.
3. a suspending or temporary attaching, as of a painting:

   a careless hanging of pictures.

adjective

1. punishable by, deserving, or causing death by hanging:

   a hanging crime; a hanging offense.

2. inclined to inflict death by hanging:

   a hanging jury.

3. suspended; pendent; overhanging:

   a hanging cliff.

4. situated on a steep slope or at a height:

   a hanging garden.

5. directed downward:

   a hanging look.

6. made, holding, or suitable for a hanging object.

hanging

/ ˈhæŋɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the putting of a person to death by suspending the body by the neck from a noose
   2. ( as modifier )

      a hanging offence

2. often plural a decorative textile such as a tapestry or drapery hung on a wall or over a window
3. the act of a person or thing that hangs

adjective

1. not supported from below; suspended
2. undecided; still under discussion
3. inclining or projecting downwards; overhanging
4. situated on a steep slope or in a high place
5. prenominal given to issuing harsh sentences, esp death sentences

   a hanging judge

6. informal.
   unpleasant
7. chess See hanging pawn

Other Words From

• hanging·ly adverb
• un·hanging adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hanging¹

1250–1300; Middle English (noun, adj.), Old English hangande (adj.) See hang, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

“In a dark prison cell, there were chains hanging from the ceiling. They hung me up there and said ‘Why can’t you finish the job?’

From BBC

The hanging was the only judicial execution ever held in the state of Israel.

From BBC

Ringo Starr is shown hanging out with Scorsese, a producer on this documentary and the director of a previous one on Harrison.

From New York Times

If anything, he boldly foreshadows the darkness just on the horizon, shooting his drama austerely, the weight of inevitable doom hanging over everything.

From Los Angeles Times

But her daughter’s building had been cleaved in half and a blast had thrown two cars on top of the building’s remains, with windshields shattered and doors hanging from their hinges.

From New York Times