: a source of mental or emotional difficulty
broadly
: problem
hung up; hanging up; hangs up
1
a
: to place on a hook or hanger designed for the purpose
hang up your coat
b
: to replace (a telephone receiver) on the cradle so that the connection is broken
2
: to keep delayed, suspended, or held up
3
: to cause to stick or snag immovably
the ship was hung up on a sandbar
1
: to break a telephone connection
2
: to become stuck or snagged so as to be immovable
Synonyms
Examples of hang-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Landon Mion, Fox News, 8 Apr. 2024
Cal State campuses have conducted workshops with local high schools — and also stepped up assistance for continuing students, who also were encountering unfamiliar hang-ups with their applications.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The hang-up, according to GOP leadership sources, is funding for DHS, which would keep the agency funded at current levels.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024
The hang-ups and prejudices of older generations are not theirs.
—Kate T. Parker, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024
Since the buildings opened, the Police Department has had 762 calls for service there, including calls from Windsor Pointe residents, neighbors, police patrols, follow-up visits and 911 hang-ups, according to Police Chief Mickey Williams.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
CEOs face formidable challenges, whether leading a company during a pandemic, navigating various geopolitical tensions, inflation, logistical hang-ups, or the lingering possibility of a recession.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
No one’s hang-up is any stranger than anyone else’s.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
The hang-up is a bit of an odd one for Lotus, because it’s previously sold a car in the U.S. with the same exact mill.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2024
Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Simpson then claimed his statement was an April Fools' joke and hung up, Wax wrote.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
In the sneak peek, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has literally hung up his tights and is now selling cars.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
The room above the cellar had been razed, and the second door had been shattered; the Russians below had hung up sheets to prevent the Ukrainian drones from seeing down the stairs.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Reached by phone Friday, Martin first identified herself and then hung up.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2024
Her brother said the police were asking about her, and Men hung up, police said.
—Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Last month, the husband and father of one reflected on hanging up his own racket, while speaking about the impact Roger Federer’s 2022 retirement had on him.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Folks with limited outdoor space can hang up hummingbird feeders filled with a sugar-water solution, Jones said.
—Sarah Linn, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Galloway Township police officers responded to a home on Cresson Avenue in Galloway Township at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday in response to a 911 hang-up call, the department said in a news release.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 8 Apr. 2024
Cal State campuses have conducted workshops with local high schools — and also stepped up assistance for continuing students, who also were encountering unfamiliar hang-ups with their applications.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The hang-up, according to GOP leadership sources, is funding for DHS, which would keep the agency funded at current levels.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024
The hang-ups and prejudices of older generations are not theirs.
—Kate T. Parker, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024
Since the buildings opened, the Police Department has had 762 calls for service there, including calls from Windsor Pointe residents, neighbors, police patrols, follow-up visits and 911 hang-ups, according to Police Chief Mickey Williams.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
CEOs face formidable challenges, whether leading a company during a pandemic, navigating various geopolitical tensions, inflation, logistical hang-ups, or the lingering possibility of a recession.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
No one’s hang-up is any stranger than anyone else’s.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
The hang-up is a bit of an odd one for Lotus, because it’s previously sold a car in the U.S. with the same exact mill.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2024
Verb
Reached by phone, his father hung up on a reporter from The Times.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Simpson then claimed his statement was an April Fools' joke and hung up, Wax wrote.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
In the sneak peek, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has literally hung up his tights and is now selling cars.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
The room above the cellar had been razed, and the second door had been shattered; the Russians below had hung up sheets to prevent the Ukrainian drones from seeing down the stairs.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Reached by phone Friday, Martin first identified herself and then hung up.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2024
Her brother said the police were asking about her, and Men hung up, police said.
—Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Last month, the husband and father of one reflected on hanging up his own racket, while speaking about the impact Roger Federer’s 2022 retirement had on him.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Folks with limited outdoor space can hang up hummingbird feeders filled with a sugar-water solution, Jones said.
—Sarah Linn, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hang-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hang-up
Cite this Entry
“Hang-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang-up. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share