hanger
B2Neutral
Definition
Meaning
A device with a hook or loop, typically made of plastic, wood, or wire, used for hanging clothes in a wardrobe or on a rail.
1. (Aviation) A large building for housing and servicing aircraft. 2. (Slang, often 'hanger-on') A person who associates with a group, party, or celebrity without being a full or welcome member. 3. (Informal, dentistry) An instance of a piece of food becoming stuck between one's teeth.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a concrete noun for an object, but context heavily influences meaning (clothing vs. aviation). The 'hanger-on' sense is derived from the phrase 'to hang on' to someone.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both use 'coat hanger' and 'hanger' interchangeably for clothing. In aviation, 'hangar' (the building) and 'hanger' (clothing) are homophones but distinct in spelling; the UK is slightly more likely to maintain this spelling distinction in careful writing.
Connotations
Neutral for the object. In informal British English, 'hanger' as in 'food hanger' might be slightly more common than in American English.
Frequency
The clothing sense is very high-frequency in both. The aviation sense is lower frequency and spelled 'hangar'.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
put/place/hang [something] on a hangertake/get [something] off the hangerVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[to be] on a hanger”
- “hanger appeal (retail: how clothes look on a hanger)”
- “hanger steak (a specific cut of beef, from 'hangar')”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
(Retail) Refers to the physical item used to display clothing in stores. 'We need to order 5000 branded hangers for the new collection.'
Academic
Rare, except in historical or design contexts discussing the evolution of clothing storage.
Everyday
Extremely common for discussing laundry, wardrobe organisation, and drying clothes.
Technical
In aviation, 'hangar' (different spelling) is technical. In dentistry, informal term for food impaction.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I put my shirt on a hanger.
- The coat hanger is in the wardrobe.
- Can you pass me a hanger, please?
- All her dresses were neatly arranged on wooden hangers.
- The wire hanger bent under the weight of the heavy coat.
- We need more hangers for the laundry.
- The boutique uses velvet-covered hangers to enhance the luxury feel of their garments.
- After the meal, he discreetly removed the lettuce hanger from his teeth.
- The old aircraft was towed back into the vast hangar for maintenance.
- Critics dismissed him as little more than a wealthy socialite's hanger-on, always present but never contributing.
- The new anti-slip hanger design promises to eliminate the problem of strappy tops sliding off.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'A hanger HANGs in your wardrobe. It has the word HANG in it.'
Conceptual Metaphor
SUPPORT IS HANGING (A hanger provides support by allowing an object to hang).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'вешалка' (veshalka) which can mean both 'hanger' and 'coat stand/rack'. A single 'hanger' is typically 'плечики' (plechiki).
- The aviation term 'ангар' (angar) is a direct cognate but spelled 'hangar' in English.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling 'hangar' (for planes) as 'hanger'.
- Using 'hanger' as a verb (the verb is 'to hang').
- Saying 'I'll put it in the hanger' instead of 'on the hanger'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the spelling 'H-A-N-G-A-R' required?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily a thing (noun). It refers to an object. The term for a person is 'hanger-on', which is a separate compound noun.
'Hanger' is for clothes. 'Hangar' (with an 'a') is a large building for storing and maintaining aircraft. They are homophones but different words.
No. The verb form is 'to hang'. 'Hanger' is only a noun. You hang your coat on a hanger.
It's informal. The metaphor is that the food item is 'hanging' or caught between the teeth, similar to how a coat hangs on a hanger.