hang over
To be above and over something, or to be a problem that won't go away.
Meanings
To project or lean out over something physically.
"A large rock hung over the path, making climbers nervous."
To be a persistent and oppressive worry, threat, or problem affecting someone or something.
"The threat of redundancy hung over the entire workforce for months."
""A cloud of suspicion hung over the whole investigation.""
— The Guardian, general news coverage
To remain as an unresolved issue from the past that continues to affect the present.
"The scandal continued to hang over his political career even a decade later."
The figurative sense (a threat or worry hanging over a situation or person) is very common in formal, journalistic, and everyday English. The literal sense (physically hanging over an edge or surface) is transparent. The noun 'hangover' means the after-effects of drinking too much alcohol.
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Forms
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Synonyms
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