"hanger-on" meaning in English

See hanger-on in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: hangers-on [plural]
Etymology: Agent noun of hang on. Head templates: {{en-noun|hangers-on}} hanger-on (plural hangers-on)
  1. Someone who hangs on, or sticks to, a person, place, or service. Translations (Someone who hangs on, or sticks): натрапник (natrapnik) [masculine] (Bulgarian), kuyog baboy (Cebuano), (kè) (Chinese Mandarin), klit [masculine] (Dutch), crampon [masculine] (French), Trabant [masculine] (German), angarúinneach [masculine] (Irish), baoiteálaí [masculine] (Irish), gabhgaire [masculine] (Irish), líodrálaí [masculine] (Irish), sáilghiolla [masculine] (Irish), táthaire [masculine] (Irish), tirapiedi [feminine, masculine] (Italian), ruffiano [masculine] (Italian), scagnozzo [masculine] (Italian), 取り巻き (torimaki) (alt: とりまき) (Japanese), assecula [masculine] (Latin), påheng (Norwegian), سوری (suri) (Persian), нахле́бник (naxlébnik) [masculine] (Russian), acoplado [masculine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-hanger-on-en-noun-n8t3LTGu Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Cebuano translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Irish translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Norwegian translations, Terms with Persian translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 93 7 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 92 8 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 92 8 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 97 3 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 80 20 Disambiguation of Terms with Cebuano translations: 93 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 90 10 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 91 9 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 91 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Irish translations: 79 21 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 92 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 92 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 92 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 82 18 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian translations: 80 20 Disambiguation of Terms with Persian translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 92 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 94 6 Disambiguation of 'Someone who hangs on, or sticks': 97 3
  2. (mining, historical) An onsetter. Tags: historical Categories (topical): Mining, People
    Sense id: en-hanger-on-en-noun-NANLD88x Disambiguation of People: 25 75 Topics: business, mining
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: onhanger, hanger on Related terms: flunky

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_text": "Agent noun of hang on.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hangers-on",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "hangers-on"
      },
      "expansion": "hanger-on (plural hangers-on)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "flunky"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "93 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "97 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "80 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "93 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Cebuano translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "90 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "91 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "91 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "79 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Irish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Latin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "80 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Norwegian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "81 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Persian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "94 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "c. 1760-1774, Oliver Goldsmith, An Elegy on the Glory of her Sex, Mrs Mary Blaze:",
          "text": "Her love was sought, I do aver, / By twenty beaux and more; / The king himself has follow'd her / When she has walk'd before. / But now her wealth and finery fled, / Her hangers-on cut short all […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1895, Benjamin Disraeli, Sybil: Or; The Two Nations, page 161:",
          "text": "Not that he was what is commonly called a Screw; that is to say he was not a mere screw; but he was acute and malicious; saw everybody's worth and position at a glance; could not bear to expend his choice wines and costly viands on hangers-on and toadeaters, though at the same time no man encouraged and required hangers-on and toadeaters more.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 158:",
          "text": "The Rhymney (51 route miles), once an impecunious hanger-on of the Taff Vale, had enjoyed its own route through Caerphilly into Cardiff since 1871, [...].",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 August 31, William Meny & Paul Simms, “A Weekend at Morrigan Manor” (18:31 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows, season 5, episode 9, spoken by The Guide (Kristen Schaal):",
          "text": "“I thought you really liked us.” “I did. Deeply and desperately. And all I wanted was for you to like me. Instead, you treated me like... an afterthought.” “I have got absolutely no really close female friends anymore.” “An annoyance.” “Oh, nice going, dipshit.” “A hanger-on.” “Stand over there and just pretend not to listen.” “I can do that.” “An inconvenience.” “You did R-S-veep \"yes.\"” “Sort of hard to shuffle things around at this late stage.”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who hangs on, or sticks to, a person, place, or service."
      ],
      "id": "en-hanger-on-en-noun-n8t3LTGu",
      "links": [
        [
          "hangs on",
          "hang on"
        ],
        [
          "stick",
          "stick"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "natrapnik",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "натрапник"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ceb",
          "lang": "Cebuano",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "word": "kuyog baboy"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "kè",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "word": "客"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "klit"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "crampon"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Trabant"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "angarúinneach"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "baoiteálaí"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "gabhgaire"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "líodrálaí"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "sáilghiolla"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "táthaire"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "tirapiedi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "ruffiano"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "scagnozzo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "alt": "とりまき",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "torimaki",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "word": "取り巻き"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "assecula"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "word": "påheng"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "suri",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "word": "سوری"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "naxlébnik",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "нахле́бник"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "acoplado"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Mining",
          "orig": "en:Mining",
          "parents": [
            "Industries",
            "Business",
            "Economics",
            "Society",
            "Social sciences",
            "All topics",
            "Sciences",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 75",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An onsetter."
      ],
      "id": "en-hanger-on-en-noun-NANLD88x",
      "links": [
        [
          "mining",
          "mining#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "onsetter",
          "onsetter"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(mining, historical) An onsetter."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "business",
        "mining"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "onhanger"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "hanger on"
    }
  ],
  "word": "hanger-on"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Cebuano translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Irish translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian translations",
    "Terms with Persian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Agent noun of hang on.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hangers-on",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "hangers-on"
      },
      "expansion": "hanger-on (plural hangers-on)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "flunky"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "c. 1760-1774, Oliver Goldsmith, An Elegy on the Glory of her Sex, Mrs Mary Blaze:",
          "text": "Her love was sought, I do aver, / By twenty beaux and more; / The king himself has follow'd her / When she has walk'd before. / But now her wealth and finery fled, / Her hangers-on cut short all […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1895, Benjamin Disraeli, Sybil: Or; The Two Nations, page 161:",
          "text": "Not that he was what is commonly called a Screw; that is to say he was not a mere screw; but he was acute and malicious; saw everybody's worth and position at a glance; could not bear to expend his choice wines and costly viands on hangers-on and toadeaters, though at the same time no man encouraged and required hangers-on and toadeaters more.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 158:",
          "text": "The Rhymney (51 route miles), once an impecunious hanger-on of the Taff Vale, had enjoyed its own route through Caerphilly into Cardiff since 1871, [...].",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 August 31, William Meny & Paul Simms, “A Weekend at Morrigan Manor” (18:31 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows, season 5, episode 9, spoken by The Guide (Kristen Schaal):",
          "text": "“I thought you really liked us.” “I did. Deeply and desperately. And all I wanted was for you to like me. Instead, you treated me like... an afterthought.” “I have got absolutely no really close female friends anymore.” “An annoyance.” “Oh, nice going, dipshit.” “A hanger-on.” “Stand over there and just pretend not to listen.” “I can do that.” “An inconvenience.” “You did R-S-veep \"yes.\"” “Sort of hard to shuffle things around at this late stage.”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who hangs on, or sticks to, a person, place, or service."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hangs on",
          "hang on"
        ],
        [
          "stick",
          "stick"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with historical senses",
        "en:Mining"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An onsetter."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "mining",
          "mining#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "onsetter",
          "onsetter"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(mining, historical) An onsetter."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "business",
        "mining"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "onhanger"
    },
    {
      "word": "hanger on"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "natrapnik",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "натрапник"
    },
    {
      "code": "ceb",
      "lang": "Cebuano",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "word": "kuyog baboy"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "kè",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "word": "客"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "klit"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "crampon"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Trabant"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "angarúinneach"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "baoiteálaí"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "gabhgaire"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "líodrálaí"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "sáilghiolla"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "táthaire"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "tirapiedi"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "ruffiano"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "scagnozzo"
    },
    {
      "alt": "とりまき",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "torimaki",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "word": "取り巻き"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "assecula"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "word": "påheng"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "suri",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "word": "سوری"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "naxlébnik",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "нахле́бник"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Someone who hangs on, or sticks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "acoplado"
    }
  ],
  "word": "hanger-on"
}

Download raw JSONL data for hanger-on meaning in English (5.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (c15a5ce and 5c11237). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.