hang out one's shingle
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To open or start a business or practice
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Mở hoặc bắt đầu một doanh nghiệp hoặc hoạt động
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: a signboard outside a professional's office
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
She hung out her shingle as a lawyer last year
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “hang out one's shingle” mean?
To open or start a business or practice Literally: a signboard outside a professional's office
Is “hang out one's shingle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.