hang over someone's head
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
To threaten or intimidate someone with a potential punishment or consequence
Đe dọa hoặc hăm dọa ai đó với hình phạt hoặc hậu quả tiềm năng
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Examples
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 over someone's head” mean?
To threaten or intimidate someone with a potential punishment or consequence Literally: a physical object suspended above
Is “hang over someone's head” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.