hang on

What it means

To wait for a short time, often used as a polite request in spoken English. It can also mean to hold something tightly, or to keep going through a difficult situation.

Examples

• Hang on a second; I just need to grab my coat from upstairs.
• Hang on tight! The road gets very bumpy from here.
• Just hang on a little longer; help is on the way to you.
• Hang on, did you say she's moving to Japan next month?

Where it comes from

Inseparable. As a request to wait, it's informal and used mostly in conversation and phone calls; 'hold on' is a close synonym with the same uses.

Related phrasal verbs