hang in

verb

hung in; hanging in; hangs in

intransitive verb

informal : to refuse to be discouraged or intimidated : to keep going, trying, or working in a difficult situation

… did not hang in long enough to win even a battle.

—Marvin E. Frankel

Hoping to hang in until some series he works on runs five years and makes him $50 million in syndication …

—Chris Chase

—often used in the phrase hang in there

If there was ever a mismatched couple it was this one, but the children begged them to hang in there.

—Joseph Wambaugh

If she hung in there long enough, he would change. It just took a lot of patience with a little reasoning.

—Gloria Naylor

Examples of hang in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even a pair of loofahs, presumably used, were supposedly left hanging in the bathroom. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026

Smoke from burning garbage nearby hung in the air at Place de la République as hundreds of high school and university students prepared to march toward Place de la Bastille, the demonstration’s focal point. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

There are only two banners hanging in the T-Mobile Center rafters. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026

Outside one classroom was a photo of the last public hanging in West Virginia, which took place in Ripley, in 1897. — Oliver Whang, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hang in

verb

informal

: to refuse to be discouraged or frightened

Hang in there, kid! Don't quit.