as in parasite
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
almost overnight, the singer was a star, and almost overnight, he was surrounded by hangers-on who wanted something
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hanger-on
The book orbits around an art scandal that pulls in collectors, curators, philosophers and hangers-on.
—
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
A number of presences, including Hunter Schafer‘s busybody assistant and Kaia Gerber’s entourage hanger-on, flit about on the periphery while the leads conversationally duke it out.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 Apr. 2026
The world has gotten a glimpse of the fawning, skeezy shamelessness of his famous hangers-on, but not enough to criminally implicate them.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Callie is popular and vivacious, perpetually surrounded by admirers and various hangers-on (Audrey Grace Marshall’s Cara is hellbent on usurping Minnie’s place in Callie’s life, while her himbo-esque boyfriend Brad is given wonderful dimension through Beck Nolan’s sneaky-good performance).
—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hanger-on
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
A number of presences, including Hunter Schafer‘s busybody assistant and Kaia Gerber’s entourage hanger-on, flit about on the periphery while the leads conversationally duke it out.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 Apr. 2026
The world has gotten a glimpse of the fawning, skeezy shamelessness of his famous hangers-on, but not enough to criminally implicate them.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Callie is popular and vivacious, perpetually surrounded by admirers and various hangers-on (Audrey Grace Marshall’s Cara is hellbent on usurping Minnie’s place in Callie’s life, while her himbo-esque boyfriend Brad is given wonderful dimension through Beck Nolan’s sneaky-good performance).
—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hanger-on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanger-on
Noun
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Zach Raff, an assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics at NC State, previously told the Observer the parasite poses low risk to North Carolina as long as infected animals are quarantined.
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It is caused by eating or drinking food contaminated with either bacteria, viruses, parasites or a harmful toxin.
Noun
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And so does Jesse — particularly the latest installment, which sees the iconic henchmen find themselves as accidental stars in 1920s Hollywood.
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Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella (Amanda Seyfried) to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods on an epic quest to save the kingdom, but most importantly, their relationship.
Noun
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Allow the solution to work for at least five minutes and, again, starting at the top of the door, scrub with a sponge.
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Scrub the grates with an old rag or abrasive dish sponge and rinse well.
Cite this Entry
“Hanger-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanger-on. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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