hanger

IPA/ˈhæŋə(r)/
KK[hˈæŋɚ]IPA/ˈhæŋər/

hanger — noun

  • hangersingular
  • hangersplural

1. a frame, often shaped like a triangle with a hook on top, that you slip inside a

1.nounA2
Definition

a frame, often shaped like a triangle with a hook on top, that you slip inside a shirt, jacket, or other piece of clothing so you can hang it up in a wardrobe or on a rail.

Example

Mira folded the dress over a wooden hanger and put it in her closet.

on/over a hanger — the object is the garment

There were thirty empty hangers swinging in the hotel wardrobe.

plural use; counted like any other countable noun

Common collocations
  • wooden hanger
  • plastic hanger
  • wire hanger
  • padded hanger
  • empty hanger
  • put X on a hanger
  • hang X up on a hanger
Synonyms
  • coat hanger

    the full, more explicit name for the same object; common in everyday speech.

  • clothes hanger

    another full name; slightly more formal than 'coat hanger'.

Grammar Patterns

a hanger

on a hanger

put X on a hanger

Usage Note

Often paired with the material it is made of: wooden, plastic, or wire hanger. The wire kind is associated with dry cleaners; wooden ones are seen as nicer.

Common Mistakes

She hung her coat in a hanger.
She hung her coat on a hanger.
the preposition is 'on', not 'in'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words name something you can hang clothing on, but their shape and use differ. A hanger, or its fuller names coat hanger and clothes hanger, is a frame that sits inside the shoulders of a garment so the shape stays neat. Coat hanger often suggests jackets and outerwear, while clothes hanger is a neutral all-purpose term. A hook is a single curved piece fixed to a wall or door; you place a coat or bag over it, but it does not support the shoulders. A peg, especially in British English, is a short knob on a board, often used in hallways or schools. So you keep shirts on hangers in a wardrobe, but you leave a coat on a hook or peg by the door.

hanger ↗coat hangerclothes hangerhook ↗peg ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • coat hanger
  • clothes hanger
  • wire hanger
  • wooden hanger
  • plastic hanger
  • padded hanger

Phrases

  • put something on a hanger
  • take something off the hanger
  • hang something up on a hanger

Prepositions

  • on a hanger
  • off the hanger
  • from a hanger

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

From the verb 'hang' plus the suffix '-er', meaning a thing that hangs or that you use to hang something. The clothing sense became common in the late 19th century when wire and wooden frames replaced the simple hook for storing tailored shirts and jackets.