HANGER-ON (hangers-on)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: hangers-on   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does hanger-on mean? 

• HANGER-ON (noun)
  The noun HANGER-ON has 1 sense:

1. someone who persistently (and annoyingly) follows along

  Familiarity information: HANGER-ON used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HANGER-ON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who persistently (and annoyingly) follows along

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

hanger-on; tagalong

Hypernyms ("hanger-on" is a kind of...):

follower (a person who accepts the leadership of another)

 Context examples 

As our house now wanted business on any terms, we joined this noble band; and threw out lures to the hangers-on and outsiders, to bring their business to us.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

There were a number of hangers-on and outsiders about the Commons, who, without being proctors themselves, dabbled in common-form business, and got it done by real proctors, who lent their names in consideration of a share in the spoil;—and there were a good many of these too.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)