hang out

spend time relaxing with friends

B1

What does "hang out" mean?

To hang out means to spend time somewhere relaxing or enjoying yourself, usually with other people. It doesn't involve doing anything serious or planned — the focus is on having a good time together in a casual way. You might hang out with friends at someone's house, at a café, or just outside with no particular plan. It's one of the most common ways English speakers talk about spending social time together, especially in conversation and texting. Because it's very informal, it sounds natural between friends but out of place in formal or professional situations.

Examples

How to use it

hang out with + person

This is the most common pattern, used to say who you are spending time with.

I usually hang out with my friends from school on Friday evenings.

hang out at/in + place

Use this pattern to say where the relaxed time is being spent.

We hung out at the café near the station for a couple of hours.

want to / let's hang out

This pattern is very common as a casual invitation to spend time together.

Do you want to hang out this weekend? We could go to the park.

be + hanging out

The continuous form is especially natural when describing what someone is doing right now or at a particular moment.

We're just hanging out at home — nothing special planned.

hang out and + activity

You can add another activity with 'and' to describe what people do while spending time together.

After class we hung out and watched videos on someone's laptop.

Common Collocations

hang out with friendshang out at homehang out at the mallhang out togetherhang out after schoolhang out at a café

Common Mistakes

Wrong past tense form

The past tense of 'hang out' (in this sense) is 'hung out'. 'Hanged out' is always incorrect — 'hanged' is only used in very specific formal or historical contexts completely unrelated to this phrasal verb.

✗ We hanged out at the beach all day.
✓ We hung out at the beach all day.
Confusing 'hang out' with 'hang around'

'Hang out' suggests enjoying relaxed social time, while 'hang around' often means waiting or loitering somewhere, sometimes with a slightly negative feeling. They are not always interchangeable.

✗ We hung around at the café chatting and having a great time.
✓ We hung out at the café chatting and having a great time.
Using 'hang out' in formal writing

'Hang out' is very informal and is best kept for conversation, messages, and social media. In formal writing or professional emails, use a phrase like 'spend time with' or 'socialise with' instead.

✗ The employees hung out after the conference to discuss new ideas.
✓ The employees socialised after the conference to discuss new ideas.

Usage

Very informal — common in conversation, texting, and social media, but avoid it in formal writing or professional contexts. It is often used as a casual invitation: 'Want to hang out?'

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'hang out' be used alone, without mentioning a person or place?

Yes, it works perfectly well on its own. Saying 'I was just hanging out' or 'We're just hanging out' is completely natural — it simply means you're relaxing with no specific plan. You only need to add 'with someone' or 'at a place' if that information is useful.

What's the noun form of 'hang out'?

The noun is 'hangout' (written as one word), and it refers to a place where people regularly spend time together — for example, 'The café is our usual hangout.' It's just as informal as the phrasal verb.

Is 'hang out' used in both British and American English?

Yes, it's used in both, though it's especially common in American English. British speakers use it too, particularly among younger people and in casual conversation, so you'll hear and read it in both varieties.

Does 'hang out' always involve other people?

Not always — you can hang out alone, for example 'I spent the afternoon just hanging out at home.' However, the most typical use involves being with other people, and it's almost always about relaxing rather than doing something productive.

Can I use 'hang out' to talk about something that happened regularly in the past?

Yes, 'used to hang out' is a very natural way to talk about something you did often in the past but don't do as much now — for example, 'We used to hang out every weekend when we were at school.' It's great for nostalgic stories.

Related Phrasal Verbs

hang around

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