ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hang about

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford British English Informal

phr. v.. to stay in a place for a while without a clear reason or purpose. You use this when you are waiting for someone or just passing time.

phr. v.. to remain in a location without specific purpose or activity; often carries a connotation of loitering or idle waiting.


SIMPLE

Don't hang about after the movie ends.

CONTEXTUAL

The teenagers like to hang about the shopping mall on Saturday afternoons.

COMPLEX

While the detectives were waiting for the suspect to emerge, they tried not to hang about too conspicuously near the entrance.

Particles
about
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
hang + about (+ object)
Usage

often used in the imperative to tell someone to hurry up or stop wasting time.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'hang out' (socializing by choice) and 'loiter' (more formal/legal); 'hang about' is particularly common in British English.

Pitfall

They were hanging about of the station.They were hanging about the station.the phrase does not require a preposition like 'of' before the location.

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