hang on
See also: hangon
English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]
Audio (Southern England): (file) Audio (US): (file)
Verb
[edit]hang on (third-person singular simple present hangs on, present participle hanging on, simple past and past participle hung on) (idiomatic, figurative)
- (chiefly imperative) To wait a moment.
- Coordinate term: hang in
- Hang on. Let me check.
- To hold, grasp, or grip.
- Hang on to the handle so you don't drop it.
- 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 271:
- "If you'll come along, then hang on!" said Hans, and the man had to hang on and limp along on one leg, whether he would or no; and when he tried to tear himself loose, he made it still worse for himself, for he was very nearly falling on his back whenever he struggled to get free.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
- Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern. Then, for a jiffy, I hung on and fought for breath.
- To keep; to store something for someone.
- Hang on to my jacket until I get back.
- To pay close attention to, or regard with (possibly obsequious) admiration.
- The audience hangs on his every word.
- To continually believe in something; to have faith in.
- He's got a philosophy he hangs on to.
- To persevere.
- Coordinate term: hang in
- Just hang on and keep going; this pain won't last forever.
- 1972, Lou Reed (lyrics and music), “Perfect Day”:
- It's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spend it with you / Such a perfect day you just keep me hanging on / You just keep me hanging on
- 1973, “Time”, in The Dark Side of the Moon, performed by Pink Floyd:
- Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
- To depend upon.
- Synonym: hang upon
- Everything hangs on whether the boss agrees.
- 2021 April 29, Gemma L. Williams, Tim Wharton, Caroline Jagoe, “Mutual (Mis)understanding: Reframing Autistic Pragmatic “Impairments” Using Relevance Theory”, in Frontiers in Psychology, volume 12, :
- Medically, autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder, hanging on a set of observed and reported behavioral characteristics.
- To weigh down or oppress.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hang, on.
Synonyms
[edit]- (wait a moment): See also Thesaurus:wait
- (hold, grasp, or grip): See also Thesaurus:grasp
- (store something for someone): keep, store
- (continually believe in something): keep faith
- (persevere): See also Thesaurus:persevere
Translations
[edit]wait a minute
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to hold, grasp, or grip
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to keep; to store something for someone
continually believe in something
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persevere
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