Meaning & use
hang out
Last updated
Meanings
phrasephrasal verbinformal
To spend time in a relaxed way with friends or in a favorite place.
Grammar: Intransitive: no object after it, but often with with or at.
Patterns
- hang out with someone
- hang out at somewhere
We usually hang out at the park after school.
She hangs out with her cousins on Sundays.
They were just hanging out when the power went off.
phrasephrasal verb
To hang something up outdoors to dry or air.
Grammar: Takes an object, which can go before or after out: hang out the laundry.
Patterns
- hang something out
- hang out something
She hung out the washing before the rain came.
He hung out the flags for the holiday.
Hang out the towels so they can dry.
Word forms
| third person singular | hangs out |
|---|---|
| past tense | hung out |
| past participle | hung out |
| -ing form | hanging out |
Common combinations
- hang out with friends
- I like to hang out with friends on weekends.
- hang out at the mall
- Teenagers often hang out at the mall.
- just hang out
- We didn't do much, just hung out.
- hang out together
- The two of them hang out together all summer.
- hang out the washing
- I hang out the washing when it's sunny.
Synonyms and how they differ
- socialize
- Socialize is more formal and sounds more purposeful than hang out.
- spend time
- Spend time is neutral and can describe any activity.
- chill
- Chill is slang and stresses relaxing.
- loiter
- Loiter suggests lingering with no purpose and may sound suspicious.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hang out or hang up?
hang out vs hang up
Hang up means to end a phone call or to place on a hook, not to spend time.
Practice
Which sentence uses hang out in the sense of spending time?
Choose one answer.
The second sentence uses hang out for relaxing with others. The others refer to hanging items.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hang out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.