hang

verb

/hæŋ/

In sense 4, hanged

/hæŋd/

is used for the past tense and past participle.

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they hang	/hæŋ/ /hæŋ/
he / she / it hangs	/hæŋz/ /hæŋz/
past simple hung	/hʌŋ/ /hʌŋ/
past participle hung	/hʌŋ/ /hʌŋ/
-ing form hanging	/ˈhæŋɪŋ/ /ˈhæŋɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

attach from top

[transitive, intransitive] to attach something, or to be attached, at the top so that the lower part is free or loose悬挂；吊

hang something + adv./prep. Hang your coat on the hook.把你的大衣挂在衣钩上。
Activists hung a banner from the roof of the building.活动人士在大楼屋顶悬挂了横幅。
hang something up Shall I hang your coat up?我把你的大衣挂起来好吗？
hang something (out) (British English) Have you hung out the washing?你把洗好的衣服晾在外面了吗？
(North American English) Have you hung the wash?你把洗好的衣服晾了吗？
hang adv./prep. There were several expensive suits hanging in the wardrobe.衣柜里挂着几套昂贵的套装。
Clothes hung from hooks on the walls.衣服挂在墙上的挂钩上。
His school bag was still hanging on the back of the door.他的书包还挂在门后。

fall loosely

[intransitive] hang adv./prep. when something hangs in a particular way, it falls in that way垂下；垂落

Her hair hung down to her waist.她的长发垂及腰际。
He had lost weight and the suit hung loosely on him.他体重减轻了，这套衣服他穿在身上松松垮垮的。

bend downwards

[intransitive, transitive] to bend or let something bend downwards（使）低垂，下垂

hang adv./prep. The dog's tongue was hanging out.狗的舌头耷拉在外面。
Children hung (= were leaning) over the gate.孩子们趴在门上。
A cigarette hung from her lips.她嘴唇上叼着香烟。
hang something She hung her head in shame.她羞愧得垂下了头。

Extra Examples

Her injured arm hung uselessly at her side.她受伤的胳膊软弱无力地垂在体侧。
Large leaves hung down from the branches of the trees.阔叶从树枝上垂下来。
The monkey was hanging by its tail from the beams overhead.猴子尾巴卷着上方的横梁倒挂着。
The sloth spends most of its time hanging upside down from the branches.大部份时间里树懒都是倒挂在树枝上。

kill somebody

(hanged, hanged)

[transitive, intransitive] hang (somebody/yourself) to kill somebody by tying a rope around their neck and allowing them to drop; to be killed in this way通过将绳子绑在某人的脖子上并让他们掉落来杀死某人；以这种方式被杀死

He was the last man to be hanged for murder in this country.他是这个国家中最后一个被处以绞刑的谋杀犯。
She had tried to hang herself.她曾试图上吊自杀。
At that time you could hang for stealing.那时犯盗窃罪可被绞死。

Topics Crime and punishmentb1

relax

[intransitive] (especially North American English, informal) to spend time relaxing or enjoying yourself休闲；玩耍

‘What are you all doing?’ ‘Just hanging.’“你们都在做什么？”“只是挂着。”
hang with somebody Do you wanna come hang with us?你想和我们一起玩吗？

pictures

[transitive, intransitive] hang (something) to attach something, especially a picture, to a hook (= a curved piece of metal) on a wall; to be attached in this way（把…）挂在墙上

We hung her portrait above the fireplace.我们把她的画像挂在壁炉上方。
Several of his paintings hang in the Tate Gallery.他的几幅油画挂在泰特美术馆。

Topics Houses and homesc2

[transitive, usually passive] to decorate a place by placing paintings, etc. on a wall挂图画等装饰（某处）

be hung with something The rooms were hung with tapestries.这些房间装饰着挂毯。

wallpaper

[transitive] hang something to stick wallpaper to a wall（在墙上）贴壁纸Topics Houses and homesc2

door/gate

[transitive] hang something to attach a door or gate to a post so that it moves freely把（门）装在门柱上；装（门）

stay in the air

[intransitive] + adv./prep. to stay in the air悬浮（在空中）

Smoke hung in the air above the city.城市上空烟雾弥漫。

Extra Examples

Heavy grey clouds were hanging low in the sky.天空低垂着厚厚的灰色云彩。
The smell of burning plastic hung in the air.空气里弥漫着烧塑料的气味。
(figurative) The question seemed to hang in the space between them.问题仿佛悬在两人之间。

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

Idioms

hang something

(British English, informal) used to say that you are not going to worry about something不在乎；不管
- Oh, let's get two and hang the expense!哎呀，我们买两份吧，管它多少钱！

hang by a hair/thread

(of a person’s life) to be in great danger命悬一线；气若游丝；危在旦夕Topics Dangerc2

hang/hold fire

to delay or be delayed in taking action（使行动）延迟；（使）迟缓
- The project had hung fire for several years for lack of funds.这个项目因缺少资金耽搁了好几年。

hang your hat

(North American English, informal) to live in a particular place居住在；定居于
- These multimillion-dollar homes are more than just a place to hang your hat.这些价值数百万美元的房屋不仅仅是一个挂帽子的地方。

hang your hat on something

(North American English, informal) to depend or rely on something将某事保密
- The research is interesting, but you cannot hang your hat on it.这项研究很有趣，但你不能就此置之不理。

hang/lie heavy

hang/lie heavy (on/in something) (of a feeling or something in the air) to be very easy to notice in a particular place in a way that is unpleasant明显地悬浮于；明显积郁着
- Smoke lay heavy on the far side of the water.水面对岸悬浮着黑沉沉的烟雾。
- Despair hangs heavy in the stifling air.绝望的感觉积压在憋闷的空气中。
hang/lie heavy on somebody/something to cause somebody/something to feel uncomfortable or anxious使不安；使担忧
- The crime lay heavy on her conscience.那件罪行使她内疚不安。

hang (on) in there

(informal) to remain determined to succeed even when a situation is difficult保持信心；坚持下去；不气馁Topics Successc2

hang a left/right

(informal) to take a left/right turn向左转；向右转

hang/stay loose

(especially North American English, informal) to remain calm; to not worry保持镇静；不着急
- It's OK—hang loose and stay cool.没事的，别慌，保持冷静。

hang/hold on for/like grim death (British English)

(also hang/hold on for dear life North American English, British English)

(informal) to hold somebody/something very tightly or keep something in a very determined way because you are afraid（害怕得）死死抓住不放，紧紧抓住坚决不松手
- You get a job, then you get a mortgage and then you hang on like grim death to your job to pay off the mortgage.你找到了一份工作，然后你得到了抵押贷款，然后你死死地坚持着你的工作来偿还抵押贷款。

hang on somebody’s words/on somebody’s every word

to listen with great attention to somebody you admire专心致志地听所崇拜的人讲话；洗耳恭听某人的话
- The journalists hung on his every word as he spoke of his ordeal.记者仔细倾听他讲述的苦难经历。

hang somebody out to dry

(informal) to put somebody in a difficult situation悬浮（在空中）
- She is being hung out to dry for one silly mistake.她因为一个愚蠢的错误而被晾在一边。

hang tough

(North American English, informal) to be determined and refuse to change your attitude or ideas立场坚定；态度坚决

(be/hang) in the balance

if the future of something/somebody, or the result of something is/hangs in the balance, it is not certain（前途）不明朗；（结果）未定，悬而未决
- The long-term future of the space programme hangs in the balance.航天计划的长远前景尚未明朗。
- Tom’s life hung in the balance for two weeks as he lay in a coma.汤姆昏迷了两周，生命垂危。

let it all hang out

(informal) to express your feelings freely宣泄情感

(you, etc.) may/might as well be hanged/hung for a sheep as (for) a lamb

(saying) 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与其偷羊羔被绞死，不如偷只羊；一不做，二不休

a peg to hang something on

something that gives you an excuse or opportunity to discuss or explain something借口；理由；话头
- The character provides a peg to hang the writer’s political ideas on.这个角色为作家的政治思想提供了一个支撑点。