hung up

adjective

1

: delayed or detained for a time

2

: anxiously nervous

3

: having great or excessive interest in or preoccupation with someone or something

—usually used with on

they broke up but he's still hung up on her

hung up on winning

Synonyms of hung up

• obsessed
• worried

Examples of hung up in a Sentence

Many people are hung up about their physical appearance.

parents of a toddler who are already hung up about her getting into a good college

Recent Examples on the Web

Ebern Designs Shavon 5-Tier Closet Storage Organizer The best way to keep closet rods from feeling too crowded and cluttered is remembering that not everything needs to be hung up. —Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026

Retailers hung up posters to promote these new healthy foods, and some gave out coupons to encourage specific purchases. —Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Archuleta hung up after being asked for comment. —Austen Erblat, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026

After 15 years and five films, Daniel Craig hung up his tux for good in No Time to Die. —Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hung up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

hung up

adjective

1

: delayed or detained for a time

2

: anxiously nervous

3

: much involved or concerned with something or someone

hung up on winning