The Phrasal Verb 'Hang Out' Explained
- 52 minutes ago
- 8 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'hang out' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native.
How well do you know the English phrasal verb 'hang out'? I am sure that many of you reading this will know at least one of its meanings. If you're not sure, don't worry as in this post I will explain all three of them and give you lots of example sentences for each one to show you how to use it in a natural way. In addition, I will also give you some bonus information so that you once you have finished reading the post, you will be an expert on this useful little phrasal verb. So, let's make a start and see what the phrasal verb 'hang out' is all about....
QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'hang out' mean?The phrasal verb 'hang out' has three main meanings in English:
Keep reading to learn how to use each of these like a native speaker. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one)
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THE BASICS
HANG OUT: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 3 |
Past tense forms | Hung out / Hung out |
Separable? | Sometimes |
The phrasal verb 'hang out' is formed of the verb 'to hang' and the particle 'out' and so as the first step in our exploration of this phrasal verb, let's first briefly consider what these two individual words mean on their own....
Hang - The verb 'to hang' is a common irregular verb in English whose main meaning is 'to physically suspend something from above, so that the bottom part of it does not touch the ground'. It can be used with many different nouns such as pictures, decorations, lights and clothes. Moreover, it is a verb that features a lot in phrasal verb constructions.
I am going to hang my clothes in the wardrobe.
The children joyfully hung the decorations on the Christmas tree.
Are we allowed to hang paintings on the wall?
The butcher has hung the cuts of meat in the freezer.
Out - The prepositional particle 'out' functions as the natural opposite of the particle 'in' and can be used in phrasal verbs to indicate a movement from the inside of something to the outside (go out, step out). When used in more figurative ways, 'out' can add various ideas to phrasal verbs including becoming visible (come out), completion (fill out), distribution (give out), removal (cut out) and exhaustion (run out), among others.
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'hang out'....
MEANING 1: To protrude
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To protrude, to stick out |
Separable? | No |
The first meaning of 'hang out' that we will look at in this post is one of its two literal uses and means 'to protrude'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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Firstly, you may be wondering what the verb 'to protrude' means. To confirm, 'to protrude' means to physically project or extend outward from a surface like a wall or the ground. For example, if there is a nail in a wall, we can say that "the nail protrudes from the wall" or if there is a rock in the middle of a river that is visible, we can say that "the rock protrudes from the surface of the river".
While 'hang out' is a synonym of 'to protrude', you should note that it is not always interchangeable: We can use protrude for anything that extends out from the edge of a surface but we normally use 'hang out' when something protrudes from a surface and the end of it drops towards the ground, i.e. when there is gravity involved. Furthermore, it is used particularly often when something is supposed to be inside or underneath something else and a part of it comes out and is visible.
Personally, when I think of this application, the first thing that comes to my mind is a tongue; if a person or an animal's tongue is hanging out, it means that it is protruding from their month and is dropping slightly downwards (a bit like the dog in the picture above). In addition to this, we often use 'hang out' with wires & cables, items of clothing like the bottom of someone's shirt or body parts like arms and legs.
To sum up, we can use 'hang out' in this way to describe anything that extends from underneath or inside something else and hangs down.
On a grammatical note, this usage is not typically separable as we do not normally intentionally cause something to hang out; it just happens through circumstance.
Mark's shirt was hanging out of his trousers after he rushed out of the house.
I tucked my shirt in because it was hanging out.
Helena's tie was hanging out from under her jacket.
A map was hanging out of his backpack.
Emma's keys were hanging out of her pocket.
A scarf was hanging out of the shopping bag.
Several cables were hanging out of the back of the computer.
A receipt was hanging out of his wallet.
One other scenario in which 'hang out' can be used this way is when people physically hang objects so that they hang on the external edge of something so that they can be seen. This is most typically used when people hang things out of their windows like flags. When used like this, the usage becomes separable as there is now a direct object that is intentionally hung in this way.
Robert hung his country's flag out of his window.
Greta hung a sign out of the shop window advertising the sale.
Let's hang a large banner out of the upstairs window to welcome the runners.
MEANING 2: To spend time
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere but common in American English |
Potential synonyms | To spend time |
Separable? | No |
The next meaning of the phrasal verb 'hang out' is the one that I suspect many of you will be familiar with already, which is 'to spend time'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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This application of 'hang out' an informal one, which is very common in North American English but is now becoming more and more common in other English-speaking parts of the world, including the UK.
When we use 'hang out' in this way, we are essentially describing spending a lot of time with people, or at a certain place. Generally, it is used when there is no specific reason for being with the person or at the place; it simply describes spending time in a relaxed and stress-free way. Due to the nature of 'hanging out', it is something that is used by, or to talk about, younger people. For example, personally I used to enjoy hanging out with my friends when I was younger but now we are all older and much busier and we don't have as much free time to be able to hang out with each other like we used to.
On a grammatical note, we tend to use this application with the extra preposition 'with' to talk about people and prepositions of place (at, in) to talk about places.
We like to hang out at the beach in the summer.
They were hanging out in the café, drinking coffee and talking.
He spends most weekends hanging out at his friend's house.
They were hanging out, listening to music and playing video games.
We hung out with some old friends at the pub.
They hung out at my house after football practice.
My sister and I hung out in town for a few hours.
We hung out with our neighbours in the garden all evening.
BONUS: The noun 'hangout'
If you were already familiar with the previous application of 'hang out' before reading this post, then you will almost certainly also be familiar with the noun 'hangout' that is derived directly from it. The noun 'hangout' is mainly used to refer to a place where people gather together to socialise, relax and 'hang out'. Less commonly, it can also refer to a digital space online where people go to socialise.
The new café has quickly become a popular hangout for university students.
The park is our favourite hangout during the summer.
That little coffee shop is a great hangout if you want to relax after work.
MEANING 3: To dry clothes
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To dry |
Separable? | Yes |
The third and final of the applications of 'hang out' that we will look at in this post is the other application that could be considered a literal usage and means 'to dry clothes'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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Let me first clarify what I mean by "drying clothes" here as this application does not apply to all instances of drying clothes but specifically when you hang wet clothes on a thin wire or cord (often called a washing line or clothesline) outside to dry in the sunshine
For example, after washing their clothes, many people hang them out on the washing line in their back garden for a few hours or all day until they are dry (provided that it hasn't rained of course 😉).
You should note that although this usage is used and understood everywhere, there are some slight differences in usage between British and North American English. In British English, people just typically say that they "hang the washing out" and the meaning is understood, whereas in North American English, it is much more common to say the longer form of "to hang the washing out to dry".
I hung the washing out before I went to work.
It's a lovely day, so let's hang the clothes out to dry.
Sue always hangs the towels out to dry when the weather is warm.
We hung the bed sheets out on the washing line this morning.
Don't hang the washing out; it's about to rain.
Charles forgot to hang the laundry out to dry, so it's still sitting in the washing machine.
As soon as the rain stopped, I hung out the washing.
My grandmother never used a tumble dryer; she always hung the washing out to dry in the garden.
BONUS: Let it all hang out
Before we finish the post, there is a little expression featuring 'hang out' to make you aware of: 'let it all hang out'. We use this expression to describe when you can relax and be yourself completely and you do not worry about what other people think of you. To be honest, I think we should all just let it all hang out when we can...it's great for our mental well being and happiness 😀
Once the music started, everyone let it all hang out and danced without worrying about looking silly.
Stop trying to impress everyone and just let it all hang out; they will like you for who you are.
We have now reached the end of this post and I hope that you have found it useful and that it has helped you to understand how to use the phrasal verb 'hang out' more confidently and naturally.
Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'hang out' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media.
Do you want to improve your phrasal verb skills ? If yes, check out my downloadable phrasal verb workbooks, which include clear explanations, common learner mistakes, exercises, speaking practice and answer keys to help you master the phrasal verbs that native speakers use every day. Browse the workbooks here. |
Thanks so much for reading and see you next time! James 😊
THE END