hangman

IPA/ˈhæŋmən/
KK[hˈæŋmən]IPA/ˈhæŋmən/

hangman — noun

  • hangmansingular
  • hangmenplural

1. a person employed to carry out death sentences by placing a rope around a prison

1.nounB2
Definition

a person employed to carry out death sentences by placing a rope around a prisoner's neck and suspending their body until death

Example

The hangman arrived before sunrise to inspect the gallows and test the trapdoor.

collocation: inspect the gallows / test the trapdoor

In medieval times, the hangman was often a feared figure in the local community.

passive: was often feared

Common collocations
  • the hangman's noose
  • the hangman's hood
  • the gallows
Synonyms
  • executioner

    any person who carries out a death sentence, not only by hanging but also by methods such as beheading or lethal injection

  • headsman

    a historical term for an executioner who beheaded people, not used for hangings

Usage Note

The word is used less frequently today because many countries have abolished capital punishment by hanging. In historical contexts, the hangman was also sometimes called the 'executioner', though that term covers other methods of execution too.

2. a word-guessing pastime: one participant selects a secret word, and the opposing

2.nounB1
Definition

a word-guessing pastime: one participant selects a secret word, and the opposing player must figure it out by calling out letters one by one. Each wrong guess adds a stroke to a gallows drawing. The guessing player loses if the sketch is finished before they solve the word.

Example

The children played hangman on a napkin while waiting for their food at the restaurant.

collocation: played hangman

Mizuki won the hangman game by guessing the last letter before the drawing was finished.

collocation: won the hangman game

Common collocations
  • play hangman
  • a game of hangman
  • win at hangman
  • lose at hangman
Synonyms
  • word game

    a broader category that includes crosswords, anagrams, Scrabble, and other letter-based puzzles, not only hangman

  • guessing game

    any game in which players try to find an answer through trial and error, not necessarily involving letters

Usage Note

Hangman is commonly played in classrooms as a low-pressure way to practise spelling and vocabulary. Digital versions are also widely available as mobile apps and web games.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Hangman' names a specific letter-by-letter guessing game with a penalty drawing, while 'word game' is a broad category that includes crosswords, anagrams, Scrabble, and Boggle — any activity involving words. 'Guessing game' is even wider, covering any game where players try to find an answer through clues or trial and error, from 20 Questions to charades — it does not require letters at all. 'Puzzle' can refer to a riddle, a logic problem, or a brainteaser of any kind, not necessarily a game with turns or a winner. If you say 'We played hangman on the train,' a listener knows exactly what you did. Saying 'We played a guessing game' would leave them wondering whether you were naming animals, questioning each other, or drawing pictures.

hangman ↗word gameguessing gamepuzzle ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Hangman is a compound word from 'hang' (Old English hangian, meaning to suspend from above) and 'man' (Old English mann, meaning an adult human male). The term was first used in Middle English for the person who executed criminals by hanging. By the late 1800s, the same word had been adopted for the paper-and-pencil guessing game, where each wrong guess adds a line to a figure that ends up resembling a body on a gallows.