Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hang by a thread

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.21 in modern English

Syllables: hang by a thread
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

1

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be in danger, calling for precise caution; to be in a precarious situation.

Example Sentences

"A giant section of an Antarctic ice shelf is hanging by a thread and could break off at any moment, researchers have revealed."
"Life in the SCP universe continually hangs by a thread, threatened constantly by the existence of a number of dangerous and apocalyptic anomalies. These threats are countered and contained by the existence of organizations such as the SCP Foundation or the Global Occult Coalition."
"Do you ever get a little bit tired of life / Like you're not really happy, but you don't wanna die / Like you're hanging by a thread, but you gotta survive / 'Cause you gotta survive"

Etymology

An allusion to the anecdotal sword of Damocles, which was suspended by a hair.

Inflected Forms

hangs by a thread (present, singular) hanging by a thread (participle, present) hung by a thread (participle, past) hung by a thread (past) hang on by a thread (alternative)

Synonyms

hang by a hair

Questions

What does hang by a thread mean?: To be in danger, calling for precise caution; to be in a precarious situation.
Where does hang by a thread come from?: An allusion to the anecdotal sword of Damocles, which was suspended by a hair.

How to pronounce hang by a thread

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