as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
she hung back in offering her opinion about her daughter's career choices because it wasn't her business
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hang back
The girls join three other riders on a recon ride, where Ellie and Dina hang back and chat about the New Year’s Eve dance that night.
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 Apr. 2025
Davis won’t have Bam Adebayo tag-teaming with him defensively, allowing Davis to aggressively defend on the perimeter or hang back to protect the rim and clean the defensive glass, depending on the scenario.
—Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
However, people with certain skin conditions should hang back.
—Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 8 Feb. 2025
But the congestion around National Airport, one of the country’s busiest public airspaces, requires particular adeptness and a willingness to hang back if necessary to let passenger jets take off or land safely.
—Mark Walker, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hang back
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 Apr. 2025
Davis won’t have Bam Adebayo tag-teaming with him defensively, allowing Davis to aggressively defend on the perimeter or hang back to protect the rim and clean the defensive glass, depending on the scenario.
—Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
However, people with certain skin conditions should hang back.
—Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 8 Feb. 2025
But the congestion around National Airport, one of the country’s busiest public airspaces, requires particular adeptness and a willingness to hang back if necessary to let passenger jets take off or land safely.
—Mark Walker, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hang back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hang back
Verb
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Don’t hesitate to end partnerships with contractors who aren’t aligned with your vision or delivering results.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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In this way, the ellipsoid would change shape in jerky, hesitating motions, gradually exploring the space around it.—
Joseph Howlett,
Quanta Magazine,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Skills Even with the best tools, untrained teams falter.—
Saby Waraich,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Most of the recent job growth was in health care, social assistance, leisure and hospitality, a red flag that overall job growth may falter in the coming months.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hang back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hang%20back. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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