HANG UP
1. To hang up something (or hang something up) means to hang something, especially clothes, on a hanger or hook.
Examples of use:
- Your grandmother is coming to visit today, so don't forget to hang up your clothes when you tidy your room.
- Could you hang my coat up, please?
- I’ll hang your coat up in the study.
2. To hang up also means to end a telephone conversation, especially suddenly or unexpectedly.
If you hang up you replace the part of the telephone you speak into back onto its normal place on the telephone – however, we also use this expression when referring to ending conversations on mobile phones.
Examples of use:
- Don't hang up on me.
- Don't buy anything from that company: the lady from their customer service department hung up on me last week.
- How dare you hang up on me!
- My girlfriend is angry with me and she keeps hanging up on me.
3. To be hung up is to be very anxious about something and to spend a lot of time thinking about it.
Informal English.
Examples of use:
- Many women are hung up about their weight.
- There's no point getting hung up about it; there's nothing you can do.
4. A hang-up (noun, informal) is something that a person worries about a lot, or is afraid of.
Examples of use:
- She has a real hang-up about being seen without her make-up on.
- He doesn't have any hang-ups.
| infinitive | hang up |
| present simple | hang up and hangs up |
| -ing form | hanging up |
| past simple | hung up |
| past participle | hung up |