Hang Fire

Pronunciation: /hæŋ faɪər/

Definitions of hang fire

verb to delay or hesitate in taking action or making a decision

Example Sentences

A1 I hang fire before making a decision.

A2 She hangs fire when it comes to choosing a new phone.

B1 The team decided to hang fire on the project until they had more information.

B2 The company is hanging fire on the merger until they receive feedback from investors.

C1 The government is hanging fire on implementing new policies until after the election.

C2 The CEO chose to hang fire on the expansion plans until market conditions improved.

Examples of hang fire in a Sentence

formal The company decided to hang fire on the new product launch until market conditions improved.

informal Let's hang fire on making any decisions until we have all the information.

slang I think we should hang fire on booking the tickets until we know for sure.

figurative She decided to hang fire on confronting her friend about the issue until she had calmed down.

Grammatical Forms of hang fire

• past tense: hung fire
• plural: hang fires
• comparative: more hang fire
• superlative: most hang fire
• present tense: hang fire
• future tense: will hang fire
• perfect tense: have hung fire
• continuous tense: is hanging fire
• singular: hang fire
• positive degree: hang fire
• infinitive: to hang fire
• gerund: hanging fire
• participle: hung fire

Origin and Evolution of hang fire

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The term 'hang fire' originated from the world of firearms, referring to a delay in the ignition of gunpowder after the trigger has been pulled.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the phrase 'hang fire' has evolved to also mean a delay or hesitation in taking action, not limited to just firearms.