Hung Hang Hanging Coat Hæŋ Heavy Hook I

• hang your coat on the hook.
• shall i hang your coat up?
• have you hung out the washing?
• have you hung the wash?

hang

1. to attach something, or to be attached, at the top so that the lower part is free or loose
• Hang your coat on the hook.
• Shall I hang your coat up?
• Have you hung out the washing?
• Have you hung the wash?
• There were several expensive suits hanging in the wardrobe.
2. when something hangs in a particular way, it falls in that way
• Her hair hung down to her waist.
• He had lost weight and the suit hung loosely on him.
3. to bend or let something bend downwards
• The dog's tongue was hanging out.
• Children hung (= were leaning) over the gate.
• A cigarette hung from her lips.
• She hung her head in shame.
4. to kill somebody, usually as a punishment, by tying a rope around their neck and allowing them to drop; to be killed in this way
• See related entries: Types of punishment
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/types_of_punishment/hang_1
• He was the last man to be hanged for murder in this country.
• She had committed suicide by hanging herself from a beam.
• At that time you could hang for stealing.
5. to attach something, especially a picture, to a hook on a wall; to be attached in this way
• See related entries: Interior décor
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/interior_d_xe_cor/hang_2
• We hung her portrait above the fireplace.
• Several of his paintings hang in the Tate Gallery.
6. to decorate a place by placing paintings, etc. on a wall
• The rooms were hung with tapestries.
7. to stick wallpaper to a wall
• See related entries: Interior décor
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/interior_d_xe_cor/hang_2
8. to attach a door or gate to a post so that it moves freely
9. to stay in the air
• Smoke hung in the air above the city.
10. used to say that you are not going to worry about something
• Oh, let's get two and hang the expense!
11. to be in great danger
12. to delay or be delayed in taking action
• The project had hung fire for several years for lack of funds.
13. to hold somebody/something very tightly because you are afraid
14. to remain determined to succeed even when a situation is difficult
15. to take a left/right turn
16. to be very noticeable in a particular place in a way that is unpleasant
• Smoke lay heavy on the far side of the water.
• Despair hangs heavy in the stifling air.
17. to cause somebody/something to feel uncomfortable or anxious
• The crime lay heavy on her conscience.
18. to listen with great attention to somebody you admire
19. to remain calm; to not worry
• It's OK—hang loose and stay cool.
20. to be determined and refuse to change your attitude or ideas
21. if the future of something/somebody, or the result of something is/hangs in the balance, it is uncertain
• The long-term future of the space programme hangs in the balance.
• Tom’s life hung in the balance for two weeks as he lay in a coma.
22. to express your feelings freely
23. if you are going to be punished for doing something wrong, whether it is a big or small thing, you may as well do the big thing
24. something that gives you an excuse or opportunity to discuss or explain something
• The character provides a peg to hang the writer’s political ideas on.

Extra Examples

• Hang on a minute—I’ll just see if he’s here.
• Hang on tight—we’re off.
• Hang on to those old photographs—they may be valuable.
• Hang on to= keep those old photographs—they may be valuable.
• Her injured arm hung uselessly at her side.
• Large leaves hung down from the branches of the trees.
• Martin tried to hang on with one hand.
• She hung on for dear life.
• The monkey was hanging by its tail from the beams overhead.
• The sloth spends most of its time hanging upside down from the branches.
• Hang your coat up on the hook.
• Heavy grey clouds were hanging low in the sky.
• Several of his paintings hang in the Museum of Modern Art.
• The question seemed to hang in the space between them.
• The room was hung with tapestries.
• The smell of burning plastic hung in the air.
• Where are we supposed to hang our washing up to dry?

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they hang
• he / she / it hangs
• past simple hung
• past participle hung
• -ing form hanging

Word Origin

• Old English hangian (intransitive verb), of West Germanic origin, related to Dutch and German hangen, reinforced by the Old Norse transitive verb hanga.