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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Recent Examples of hanger-on
During the 2024 election, Amazon’s Prime Video tapped Brian Williams to moderate a conversation-heavy Election Night hangout with a large crowd of journalists, influencers and hangers-on.
—
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
The ultimate goal, then, seems to be nothing less than the complete supplanting of MAGA with a new political movement—an angry, ultra-conspiratorial, unbiblical, neo-pagan movement of misfits and their hangers-on.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Which interpretation lands best with Subramanian will be made clear at Friday’s sentencing hearing — for which Combs, as well as various family members and hangers-on, will be in NYC’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Mike Appel led the session from behind the board, with the engineer Louis Lahav at his side and a scattering of staff, friends, and other hangers-on lurking here and there.
—Peter Ames Carlin, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hanger-on
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
The ultimate goal, then, seems to be nothing less than the complete supplanting of MAGA with a new political movement—an angry, ultra-conspiratorial, unbiblical, neo-pagan movement of misfits and their hangers-on.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Which interpretation lands best with Subramanian will be made clear at Friday’s sentencing hearing — for which Combs, as well as various family members and hangers-on, will be in NYC’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Mike Appel led the session from behind the board, with the engineer Louis Lahav at his side and a scattering of staff, friends, and other hangers-on lurking here and there.
—Peter Ames Carlin, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hanger-on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanger-on
Noun
-
When the characters aboard the Enterprise stop feeding the conflict, the parasite starves.—
Joe Palaggi,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The drug, largely used to treat people or animals for infections caused by parasites, is a popular dewormer for horses.—
Rachana Pradhan,
STAT,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ben, flanked by his henchmen, was seen as formidable and dangerous.—
Thomas Morgan,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper’s Beadle Bamford, the judge’s henchman, has a malicious ebullience all his own.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sea turtles snoozed, manta rays glided, and reef fish darted by the thousands over lava pinnacles covered in corals and basket sponges.—
Betsy Andrews,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Clean the inside of the microwave with a cloth or sponge dipped in the vinegar water.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hanger-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanger-on. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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