hung
1 Americanverb
adjective
idioms
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hung up on,
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obsessed by.
a clerk hung up on petty details.
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infatuated with.
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hung over. see hungover.
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hung up,
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detained unavoidably.
They were hung up in bad traffic and missed their flight.
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stymied or baffled by a problem.
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see hung-up.
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Baseball, Softball. (of a base runner) trapped between bases and in danger of being tagged out.
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abbreviation
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Hungarian. Also Hung
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Hungary.
verb
adjective
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(of a legislative assembly) not having a party with a working majority
a hung parliament
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unable to reach a decision
a hung jury
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(of a situation) unable to be resolved
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informal suffering from the effects of a hangover
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slang
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impeded by some difficulty or delay
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in a state of confusion; emotionally disturbed
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slang obsessively or exclusively interested in
he's hung up on modern art these days
abbreviation
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Hungarian
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Hungary
Usage
See hang.
For most senses of hang the past tense and past participle is hung : I hung the curtains; he had hung the new painting on the wall . However, when the meaning is 'to suspend or be suspended by the neck until dead', the past tense and past participle is hanged : the traitors were hanged; they had hanged him at dawn . This form is also used in the idiom I'll be hanged
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hung
First recorded in 1635–45, for the adjective
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One California grandmother has been waiting for answers since she was a child and her mother spotted a UFO hovering while she hung clothes out to dry.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
When the Hechinger Report reached out to the company with questions, a representative immediately hung up, and the company did not respond to a follow-up email.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
“The energy and enthusiasm he generated created a charge like static electricity that hung around after he left the stage,” the Detroit Free Press later wrote.
From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026
At another wholesale mall, iridescent streamers and gold mirror balls hung from the ceiling of Wen Linpeng's shop selling colourful soap bars, perfumes and make-up products.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
Men’s shirts hung shoulder to shoulder on wash lines strung between posts under the glaring sun.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.