hanging

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of hang

adj

1. (not-comparable)Suspended.

   “The hanging vines made the house look older than it was.”

2. (not-comparable)Unprotected and exposed to capture.
3. (not-comparable, slang)Hittable; poorly executed by the pitcher, hence relatively easy to hit.

   “hanging breaking ball”

   “hanging slider”

4. (UK, not-comparable, slang)Ugly; very unattractive; disgusting.

   “MUGSEY: Yeah. You fancy ‘im don’ you. LEANNE: No I don’t. Shut yer mouth. MUGSEY: Your mum said he’s gonna end up just like his dad. LEANNE: She don’ even know Bingo. Anyway, I don’t fancy ‘im, ‘e’s hanging.”

5. (not-comparable)Extending beyond the margins of a page.

   “hanging punctuation”

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The act of hanging a person (or oneself) by the neck in order to kill that person (or to commit suicide).

   “Hanging is the punishment for one convicted of war crimes, there.”

   “The hanging of the bandits was attended by the whole village.”

   “No, Sir, 'tis fear of Hanging. Who would not ſteal, or do Murder, every time his Fingers itch'd at it, were it not for fear of the Gallows?”

   “Public hangings were abolished in 1868 by Act of Parliament.”

   “Along with trial by ordeal, hanging was the most effective deterrent that could be devised in an age without police or prisons.”

2. (countable)Anything that is hung as a decorative element (such as curtains, gobelins, or posters).

   “The various hangings on that Christmas tree look nice.”

3. (uncountable)The way in which hangings (decorations) are arranged.

   “I dislike the cramped hanging in the gallery of 18th century painters.”