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A Writer's Dictionary:

hanging Definition


Dictionary Home » Words Starting with H » handkerchief ... hansom » hanging


hang
verb hung (past tense, past participle), hanged (past tense, past participle in sense 3), hanging (present participle)
    tr & intr
    1. To fasten or be fastened from above, especially with the lower part free.
      Thesaurus: suspend, dangle, drape, sag, droop, loll, sling; attach, stick, nail, hook.
    tr & intr
    2. Said of a door, etc: to fasten or be fastened with hinges so that it can move freely.
    tr & intr
    3. To suspend or be suspended by a rope or something similar around the neck until dead.
      Thesaurus: lynch, execute, gibbet, string up.
    4. To be suspended or hover, especially in the air or in a threatening way.
      Example: The smell of paint hung in the air
      Example: The fear of redundancy hung over me
      Form: hang over (sometimes)
    tr & intr
    5. To droop or make something droop.
      Example: hang one's head in shame
    6. To fix (wallpaper) to a wall.
    tr & intr
    7. Said of a painting, etc: to place or be placed in an exhibition.
    8. To decorate (a room, wall, etc) with pictures or other hangings.
    tr & intr
    9. colloq
      To damn or be damned.
      Example: Hang the expense
    intr
    10. Said of a piece of clothing: to sit in a specified way when worn.
      Example: a coat which hangs well
    11. To suspend game from a hook to allow it to decompose slightly and become more flavoursome.
    12. To prevent (a jury) from reaching a verdict.
    13. computing.
      Said of a computer or a program: to stop functioning.
noun
    1. The way something hangs, falls or droops.
    2. colloq
      Example: I couldn't give a hang
Idiom: get the hang of something
    colloq
    To learn or begin to understand how to do it.
Idiom: hang a left (hang a right)
    (S)
    colloq
    To turn left or right, especially when driving.
Idiom: hang by a thread
    To depend upon very precarious conditions, a slim chance, etc.
Idiom: hang fire
    To delay taking action.
      Thesaurus: delay, procrastinate, stall, stop, vacillate, wait, hang back; Antonym: press on.
    To cease to develop or progress.
Idiom: hang in the balance
    To be uncertain or in doubt.
Idiom: hang loose
    To do nothing.
    To be relaxed and unperturbed by one's surroundings, etc.
Idiom: hang on in there
    colloq
    Keep trying; don't give up.
Idiom: hang one's head
    To look ashamed or sheepish.
Idiom: hang on someone's lips (hang on someone's words)
    To give close admiring attention to someone.
Idiom: let it all hang out
    To be totally uninhibited and relaxed.
    To act or speak freely.
Etymology: Anglo-Saxon hangian.

Phrasal Verb: hang about or around
    To waste time; to stand around doing nothing.To stay or remain.
Phrasal Verb: hang about or around with someone
    To spend a lot of time in their company.
Phrasal Verb: hang back
    To be unwilling or reluctant to do something.
Phrasal Verb: hang on
    To wait.
      Example: I'll hang on for a bit
    To carry on bravely, in spite of problems or difficulties.
Phrasal Verb: hang on something
    To depend on it.
      Example: It all hangs on the weather
    To listen closely to it
      Example: hanging on her every word.
Phrasal Verb: hang something on someone
    To blame them for it.
Phrasal Verb: hang on to something
    To keep a hold or control of it.
Phrasal Verb: hang out
    To lean or bend out (eg of a window, etc).Said of clothes: to hang up outside to dry.To frequent a place. See also hang-out.
      Example: He hangs out in local bars
Phrasal Verb: hang something out
    To hang up (washing) outside to dry.
Phrasal Verb: hang out for something
    To insist on it and wait until one gets it.
Phrasal Verb: hang over someone
    Said of an unresolved problem, decision, etc: to overshadow or threaten them.
Phrasal Verb: hang over something
    To project over or lean out from it.
Phrasal Verb: hang together
    Said of two people: to be united and support each other.Said of ideas, etc: to be consistent.
Phrasal Verb: hang up
    To finish a telephone conversation by replacing the receiver.
Phrasal Verb: hang something up
    To hang something on a hook, hanger, etc.
Info:
    ○ The normal past tense and past participle of the verb hang is hung &wbox; &wbox; &wbox;
    ○ When the verb refers to killing by hanging, the correct form of the past tense and past participle is hanged&wbox; &wbox; Hung is increasingly used in this sense also, but in formal English it is better to use hanged.



hanging
noun
    1a. The execution of someone by suspending their body by the neck;

      Example: a hanging offence
    2. Curtains, tapestries, etc hung on walls for decoration.
      Form: hangings (usually)
adj
    1. Suspended; not fixed below; overhanging.
      Thesaurus: dangling, drooping, floppy, swinging, loose, pendent, suspended.
    2. Undecided.
      Example: a hanging question
      Thesaurus: pending, undecided, unresolved, unsettled, up in the air.
    3. Situated on a steep slope.


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