Senior Member. Hang out describes the action of being somewhere -- it is a colloquial term that means being somewhere. To hang out together is to be with a person (or people) in the physical sense. Go out means leaving your place of residence and visiting somewhere.

Whats the difference between going out and hanging out?

Hang out is more general. You can hang out with friends at home or hang out at the park (for example). If you go out with someone then it means you must leave your home and go somewhere else like a shopping mall. Note: the phrase go out with can also have a romantic meaning, especially if its just one other person.

Why do they call it hanging out?

hang out (v.) + out (adv.). Colloquial meaning to be found is recorded from 1811, in allusion to the custom of hanging out a sign or shingle to indicate ones shop and business [Century Dictionary]. As a noun (often hangout) residence, lodging attested from 1893; earlier a feast (1852, American English).