hang back
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.
"If we hang back and stand still this will just run right over the top of us," he said in the speech at the University of Sydney.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
The Familiar will know whether to run up or to hang back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Whether donning a tracksuit to join a fun-run along Windhoek's Independence Avenue, or insisting his driver hang back from official motorcades, he aimed to be a man of the people.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025
The kid, wearing a Croatia jersey with his father’s No. 4 on the back, was initially told to hang back by a Brazilian member of staff.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2022
Oft doth reason, enthroned in the pillowed seraglio of the brain, hang back; whereas the flesh, which must walk abroad in the streets, finds its own temerity.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
