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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Recent Examples of hang back
During the nighttime partying, older revelers mostly hung back.
—
María Magdalena Arréllaga, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Finke again tried his signature move — hanging back before blitzing past the leaders in a mad dash to the final wall.
—Rick Maese, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
But many of those demonstrators have since hung back, owing to political exhaustion.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2024
Hinrichs’ best memory so far was at a stop a couple of years ago when a family brought a disabled child but were hanging back from the train to avoid the tussle of the crowd.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hang back
María Magdalena Arréllaga, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Finke again tried his signature move — hanging back before blitzing past the leaders in a mad dash to the final wall.
—Rick Maese, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
But many of those demonstrators have since hung back, owing to political exhaustion.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2024
Hinrichs’ best memory so far was at a stop a couple of years ago when a family brought a disabled child but were hanging back from the train to avoid the tussle of the crowd.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hang back
Cite this Entry
“Hang back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hang%20back. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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