1
as in keeping up
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2
as in holding on
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanging on
Verb
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Pretty quickly, Matt committed to keeping up appearances.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026 -
Grid bottlenecks hamper Indian renewables growth India’s energy grid isn’t keeping up with a surge in clean power.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Also, Southern California visits Nebraska with both sides holding on for dear life.—
Jordan Mendoza,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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Record levels of burnout — a seven-year high, with 61% of employees reporting at least moderate burnout — suggest many are simply holding on.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The bad news for the mid-majors hanging around the bubble right now — New Mexico, San Diego State, Santa Clara — is that their opportunities will be more scarce.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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In his on-court interview to cap Day 13, Djokovic thanked Court for hanging around to witness him end a streak of five losses to Sinner, and also snap a run of four semifinal defeats at the Grand Slam tournaments.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Over the weekend, business leaders offered a mix of responses after federal agents shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, revealing yet again how one of America’s most powerful cohorts is — publicly, at least — carrying on with business as usual.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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No redemptive speechifying or cathartic waterworks here, just life carrying on with a slightly heavier tread.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That’s bad news for hundreds of middling private equity firms waiting for a lifeboat that may never come.—
Hank Tucker,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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But others waiting appeared to burn with the indignation of an era in US-Cuban relations that until recently had been relegated to the history books.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Are those customers sticking around?—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Is winter sticking around or is an early spring ahead?—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Hanging on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanging%20on. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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