: 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
Noun
low self-esteem is only one of his many hang-ups
Recent Examples on the Web
Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2024
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
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024
Alito said his wife had hung up the flag in response to a dispute with a neighbor.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 May 2024
This one had been dragged more than five feet, indicating something was hung up on it.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 22 May 2024
Highmore, who plays the brilliant surgeon Shaun Murphy, will hang up his scrubs for good after seven seasons when the series finale airs on Tuesday, May 21.
—Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 20 May 2024
The station was not a place where people got hung up on particulars.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2024
This is the perfect piece of art to hang up in your dining room, kitchen, or living room.
—Kirsten Chanel Webber, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2024
The mogul also posted a photo of one room inside her home transformed into the ‘Psalm Patrol’ with a white and bright green color scheme, fake slime on the floor and doorway and backpacks — just like the ones worn by the Ghostbusters team in the franchise — hanging up on a fake brick wall.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 12 May 2024
Related Articles Allow chair space: A rug under a dining table should extend at least 24 inches beyond the table so diners can pull chairs in and out without getting hung up.
—Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 2 May 2024
Noun
Some advocates interviewed by The Sun praised police for following up on the 911 hang-up both by phone and in person.
—Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2024
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
Verb
Many of those calls, however, were unanswered or immediately hung up on, according to court documents.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024
Alito said his wife had hung up the flag in response to a dispute with a neighbor.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 May 2024
This one had been dragged more than five feet, indicating something was hung up on it.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 22 May 2024
Highmore, who plays the brilliant surgeon Shaun Murphy, will hang up his scrubs for good after seven seasons when the series finale airs on Tuesday, May 21.
—Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 20 May 2024
The station was not a place where people got hung up on particulars.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2024
This is the perfect piece of art to hang up in your dining room, kitchen, or living room.
—Kirsten Chanel Webber, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2024
The mogul also posted a photo of one room inside her home transformed into the ‘Psalm Patrol’ with a white and bright green color scheme, fake slime on the floor and doorway and backpacks — just like the ones worn by the Ghostbusters team in the franchise — hanging up on a fake brick wall.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 12 May 2024
Related Articles Allow chair space: A rug under a dining table should extend at least 24 inches beyond the table so diners can pull chairs in and out without getting hung up.
—Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 2 May 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 2 Jun. 2024.
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