hang upon

Verb

hang upon (third-person singular simple present hangs upon, present participle hanging upon, simple past and past participle hung upon)

1. To regard with passionate affection.
   • Beshrew the eyes that hung upon his form on that day with a passionate, greedy, all-absorbing love!1916, Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Aiyar, The Kural or the Maxims of Tiruvalluvar
2. To pay overt attention to, as from sycophancy or intense interest.
   • They hung upon his every word.
   • "It is quite five years since my eyes last hung upon your honorable face."1906, Mary McNeil Fenollosa, The Dragon Painter
3. To hover around.
   • and it was therefore decided merely to take precautions against a raid, fortify certain points on the roads, and bring out a host of irregulars to hang upon the rear and flanks of the enemy1919, Justin Harvey Smith, The War with Mexico
4. (idiomatic) To depend upon.
   • Everything hangs upon whether the boss agrees.
   • Has it struck you that another life may hang upon your answer? As a rule men are loth to send their fathers to death1901, H. Rider Haggard, Lysbeth: A Tale of the Dutch

   Synonyms:

   hang on