hang on — persist despite difficulty
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to continue or persevere in a difficult or challenging situation, often when it would be easier to give up.
Say it like a native
Textbook You must persevere despite the adversity.
Native Just hang on a bit longer.
'Hang on (in there)' is the natural, encouraging phrase for enduring. 'Persevere despite adversity' is a motto, not speech.
Pattern: hang on (in/through something)
In use
- Despite the setbacks, she managed to hang on until the end of the project.resilience
- In difficult economic climates, small businesses often have to hang on through periods of uncertainty in order to survive.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Hang on to the difficult times.
✓ Hang on through the difficult times. / Just hang on in there.
This 'persist' sense is 'hang on (in there)'. 'Hang on TO' means physically grip or keep something.
Common collocations
hang on (in there)— in there, a bit longer, somehow, till payday
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense ('wait for a short time'), this sense is figurative and refers to continuing through adversity, not simply pausing or waiting.
Related
- hang on (wait for a short time) — 'hang on' also has the more basic meaning 'wait for a short time'; this is the advanced sense.