1
as in hanging (around or out)
to spend time doing nothing
a tea house near campus where many university students could be seen hanging about
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in playing
to spend time in aimless activity
we'll be hanging about at the pub if you need us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hanging about
In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October.
—
Elliott Harrell, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Orion Nebula Those viewing from a dark sky location may also notice a blurry patch of light hanging about 5 degrees below Orion's belt.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The student was found hanging about 50 feet up in a tree with the open chute, Metro Nashville Police Department said on X Saturday.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Elliott Harrell, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Orion Nebula Those viewing from a dark sky location may also notice a blurry patch of light hanging about 5 degrees below Orion's belt.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The student was found hanging about 50 feet up in a tree with the open chute, Metro Nashville Police Department said on X Saturday.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging about
Verb
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As the Ado Annie-like Betsy, a horny teen-ager whose father owns a shotgun, Kurtz is playing a character who should be, and kind of is, a one-joke punch line.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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Twin sisters Jordan and Jaedyn Gomez, playing for Boone, lost their second round individual bracket doubles match 6-0, 6-0 against Doral Academy’s top seeded duo of Payton Seidle-Lubowitz and Stefany Zamora.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Spend your mornings kicking back on Biloxi Beach or Long Beach, perhaps flying a kite and enjoying a picnic lunch.—
Kara Williams,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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Sometimes there’s no better way to spend a spring day than kicking back on your porch—or deck, or patio, or stoop—and simply taking it all in, perhaps even with a refreshing beverage in hand.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Odenkirk and Kolstad have begun kicking around ideas for extending the character into an ongoing franchise.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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Although the likes of the Go Go’s and the Cars are present at times, the soundtrack as a whole seems too staid to provide a backdrop for ’80s kids kicking around in the heyday of punk.—
Gina Friedlande,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Lakers weren’t messing around during the film sessions or practices.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The animal, which arrived at the pier about a month ago, has sparked enthusiasm on social media, with Reddit users sharing photos and videos of Chonkers lounging and sunbathing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Droves of sea lions began lounging at the dock shortly in 1989 shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pep Guardiola heavily rotated his side for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final with Championship side Southampton on Saturday evening, bringing fresh faces into the starting XI and resting some of his key players for the final stretch of the league season.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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The 3-by-5 strength training protocol involves choosing 3–5 exercises, doing 3–5 sets of 3–5 reps, and resting for 3–5 minutes in between.—
Jenessa Connor,
Health,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Last week, the prosecution showed the jurors chilling video and audio evidence that included Athena’s last moments after Horner lured her inside the FedEx van.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
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With war chests reportedly reaching hundreds of millions, critics—including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—warn that AI industry influence is chilling debate and discouraging regulation ahead of midterms.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hanging about.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20about. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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