hanger-on

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When Thoreau set out for his first of his three chronicled trips to Cape Cod in 1849, he was a virtually unknown hanger-on to America’s foremost public intellectual, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Except he’s the geek, the hanger-on, the money man, so nobody does.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2025

Jamie saw himself as the fresh young star and Roy as the aging, hanger-on standing in his way.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2023

But Ms. Babitz was far more than just a Hollywood party girl or rock-and-roll hanger-on.

From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2021

She was with that whole Zach Powers crew, and not as a hanger-on either.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman