hang-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈhaŋ-ˌəp 

: a source of mental or emotional difficulty

broadly : problem

hang up

2 of 2

verb

hung up; hanging up; hangs up

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1

: to break a telephone connection

2

: to become stuck or snagged so as to be immovable

Synonyms

Noun

• affliction
• demon
• daemon
• terror
• torment

Examples of hang-up in a Sentence

Noun

low self-esteem is only one of his many hang-ups

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

All have their questions, and in some cases, the concerns and hang-ups outweigh the potential attraction. —Max Bultman, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024

Pennsylvania county makes emergency request to extend voting hours The RNC joined Cambria County, a red county in central Pennsylvania, to ask a judge to extend polling place hours on Tuesday because of long lines caused by ballot processing hang-ups. —Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Nov. 2024

Verb

The New York rap legend may have hung up his skateboard trucks years ago, but 2024 ended up being a busy year for LL Cool J. The 56-year-old returned in September with his first album since 2013 with The Force. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 13 Dec. 2024

The issue of entrapment is an interesting one, but Hit Man is too playful to get hung up on that or other moral and ethical issues. —Tom Gliatto, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1952, in the meaning defined above

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

hang-up

1 of 2 noun

ˈhaŋ-ˌəp

: a source of mental or emotional difficulty

hang up

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)haŋ-ˈəp

1

a

: to place on a hook or hanger

hang up your coat

b

: to replace a telephone receiver on the cradle so that the connection is broken

also : to end a telephone conversation

2

: to snag or cause to snag so as to be immovable

a boat hung up on rocks