Dictionary

hang up en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, transitive) To put up to hang.
   • I hung up my wash on the line.
2. (ambitransitive, idiomatic) To terminate a telephone call, originally by hanging the receiver on its hook or cradle thereby automatically disconnecting the line.
   • And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me He'd grown up just like me My boy was just like me. 1974, Harry Chapin and Sandra Chapin, “Cat's in the Cradle”, in Verities & Balderdash, performed by Harry Chapin:
   • When my mother started telling me to be careful over the phone, I threatened to hang up on her.
   • Heather and Scott also called the police to confirm their son was reported missing. As soon as they hung up, they got in the car and began driving to the Sun Peaks resort. 2026 August 18, Nicholas Muhoro, “Ryan Shtuka, 20, Vanished After Leaving a House Party at a Ski Resort in 2018. His Walk Home Was Only 300 Metres”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 18 Aug 2026:
3. (figuratively, idiomatic, intransitive) To stop talking.
4. (colloquial, idiomatic, transitive) To keep delayed, suspended, held up, or stuck.
   • Seeing you's all I've been thinking about. You know I wouldn't hang you up this way if it wasn't for a damned good reason. 1986, Charlotte Vale Allen, Time/Steps, page 396:
5. (idiomatic) To rob or mug (someone).
6. (idiomatic) To arrest (someone); to send (someone) to prison.
   • So call up Trudy on the telephone / Send her a letter in the mail / Tell her I'm hung up in Dallas / They won't let me out of this jail 1971, Charlie Daniels, “Trudy”, in Charlie Daniels:
7. (idiomatic) To quit (something); to give up or stop doing (something); to abandon (something).
   • I think it's time to hang it up.
   • He hung up the flute after college.
   • Well, all God's children got to grow up / And play house, make vows to hang up their shoes 1989, Melissa Etheridge, “You Used to Love to Dance”, in Brave and Crazy:
8. (idiomatic) To distress, disadvantage or harm (someone).

Forms

Antonyms

pick up the phone

Deriveds

hang-up call

Relateds

hung up · ring off

Synonyms

ring off

Translations (85)

aeb عَلِّق (terminate a phone call) · de auflegen (terminate a phone call) · ru ве́шать (put up to hang) · pl odkładać impf słuchawkę (terminate a phone call) · ro agăța (put up to hang) · chr ᎬᏙᏌᏗᎠ (put up to hang) · it tenere in attesa (emotionally trouble) · la suspendō (put up to hang) · pl odłożyć pf słuchawkę (terminate a phone call) · de aufhängen (put up to hang) · fr raccrocher au nez (terminate a phone call) · it rimuginare (emotionally trouble) · ota آصمق (put up to hang) · ru пове́сить тру́бку (terminate a phone call) · ru ве́шать тру́бку (terminate a phone call) · mi whakatārawa (put up to hang) · tr asmak (put up to hang) · fi ripustaa (put up to hang) · fi katkaista puhelu (terminate a phone call) · es colgar (put up to hang) · hu felakaszt (put up to hang) · fi lopettaa puhelu (terminate a phone call) · ro atârna (put up to hang) · izh löövvä (put up to hang) · it tenere in sospeso (emotionally trouble) · fr raccrocher (terminate a phone call) · it riattaccare (terminate a phone call) · ar عَلَّقَ (put up to hang) · it riagganciare (terminate a phone call) · no legge på (put up to hang) · tr kapatmak (terminate a phone call) · sv hänga upp (put up to hang) · fi katkaista (terminate a phone call) · no la på røret (put up to hang) · hu kinyom (terminate a phone call) · ja 電話を切る (terminate a phone call) · ast colgar (put up to hang) · cs zavěsit (terminate a phone call) · ain アッテ (put up to hang) · fi sulkea puhelin (terminate a phone call) · is leggja á (terminate a phone call) · io pendar (put up to hang) · ca penjar (terminate a phone call) · mi whakahīweka (put up to hang) · fi vaivata (emotionally trouble) · fo leggja á (terminate a phone call) · bg затварям телефона (terminate a phone call) · ko 전화를 끊다 (terminate a phone call) · ca penjar (put up to hang) · cmn 掛 /挂 (put up to hang) · is skella á (terminate a phone call) · ja 掛ける (put up to hang) · ro închide (terminate a phone call) · cs pověsit (put up to hang) · lb anhänken (terminate a phone call) · ru класть тру́бку (terminate a phone call) · mi whakairi (put up to hang) · cmn 挂断 (terminate a phone call) · ar أَغْلَقَ الْخَطّ (terminate a phone call) · hu letesz (terminate a phone call) · yue cut線 /cut线 (terminate a phone call) · pt pendurar (put up to hang) · sv lägga på (terminate a phone call) · izh ripustaa (put up to hang) · mi houtāwere (put up to hang) · fr suspendre (put up to hang) · it tenere sulle spine (emotionally trouble) · vi cúp máy (terminate a phone call) · fa قطع کردن (terminate a phone call) · gu મૂકી દેવું (terminate a phone call) · pt desligar (terminate a phone call) · gl colgar (terminate a phone call) · ru пове́сить (put up to hang) · ka ჩამოკიდება (put up to hang) · ja 弱らせる (emotionally trouble) · is hengja (put up to hang) · gl colgar (put up to hang) · yue 掛斷 /挂断 (terminate a phone call) · ast colgar (terminate a phone call) · ru положи́ть тру́бку (terminate a phone call) · es cortar (terminate a phone call) · it appendere (put up to hang) · es colgar (terminate a phone call) · sw -kata simu (terminate a phone call) · cmn 掛斷 /挂断 (terminate a phone call)