: 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
Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 25 July 2024
With a particular focus on romantic disappointment, the collection confronts psychosexual hang-ups, dating, and identity through the eyes of Redditors and group-chat girlies.
—Chloe Schama, Vogue, 18 July 2024
Nick Remsen, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2024
Dimon’s theory that consumers may not be as hung up on the base rate as their Wall Street counterparts has been supported to some extent by a working paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hang-up 
Noun
Insiders tell us a potential hang-up is a philosophical dispute over criminal justice because the lieutenant governor chairs the state's Board of Pardons.
—Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 25 July 2024
With a particular focus on romantic disappointment, the collection confronts psychosexual hang-ups, dating, and identity through the eyes of Redditors and group-chat girlies.
—Chloe Schama, Vogue, 18 July 2024
Verb
Next up is what’s most exciting—Daley’s new leap, so to speak, now that he’s hung up his shammy.
—Nick Remsen, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2024
Dimon’s theory that consumers may not be as hung up on the base rate as their Wall Street counterparts has been supported to some extent by a working paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hang-up
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 11 Sep. 2024.
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