Meaning & use
stringing along
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“stringing along” is a form of “string along”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
To deceive someone over a period of time, especially by making promises you do not keep.
Grammar: Takes an object: string someone along. Often used in the progressive form.
Patterns
- string someone along
- string someone along with promises
He's been stringing her along for years, saying he'll leave his wife but never does.
The company strung the workers along with promises of a pay rise that never came.
Stop stringing him along and tell him the truth.
verbtransitive
To keep someone waiting or delay them, often by giving excuses.
Grammar: Takes an object: string someone along. Often used with 'for' + time period.
Patterns
- string someone along for weeks
- string someone along until something happens
They strung us along for months before finally rejecting our offer.
Don't let them string you along; ask for a definite answer.
She felt she was being strung along by the university's admissions office.
Word forms
| base form | string along |
|---|---|
| third person singular | strings along |
| past tense | strung along |
| past participle | strung along |
| -ing form | stringing along |
Common combinations
- string someone along for months
- He strung her along for months before admitting he wasn't serious.
- string someone along with false promises
- The politician strung voters along with false promises of reform.
- keep stringing someone along
- You can't keep stringing him along; he deserves to know the truth.
- string someone along until
- They strung us along until the last minute, then canceled the deal.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- string along phrasal verb
- The base form of the phrasal verb.
Commonly confused: stringing along or stringing together?
stringing along vs stringing together
'Stringing together' means connecting things in a series, like words or beads. 'Stringing along' means deceiving or delaying someone.
Practice
She realized that he had been _____ her along for months, never intending to commit.
Choose one answer.
After 'had been', we need the -ing form to make the past perfect continuous: 'had been stringing'. 'Strung' is the past participle and would need 'had' alone, not 'had been'. 'String' and 'strings' do not fit the continuous form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stringing along”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.