hung

[ huhng ]

/ hʌŋ /

verb

simple past tense and past participle of hang.

adjective

Slang: Vulgar. (of a male) having very large genitals.

Idioms for hung

hung over, Informal. suffering the effects of a hangover: On New Year's Day the houseguests were all hung over. Also hungover.

hung up, Informal.

detained unavoidably.
stymied or baffled by a problem.
Baseball, Softball. (of a base runner) trapped between bases and in danger of being tagged out.

hung up on, Slang.

obsessed by: a clerk hung up on petty details.
infatuated with.

usage note for hung

See hang.

OTHER WORDS FROM hung

un·hung, adjective well-hung, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hung

hanged hung (see usage note at hang)

Words nearby hung

hundredfold, hundreds and thousands, hundredth, hundredweight, huneker, hung, hung hsiu-ch'uan, hung jury, hung up, hung-up, hung-wu

Definition for hung (2 of 3)

hang

[ hang ]

/ hæŋ /

verb (used with object), hung or especially for 4, 5, 20, hanged; hang·ing.

to fasten or attach (a thing) so that it is supported only from above or at a point near its own top; suspend.

to attach or suspend so as to allow free movement: to hang a pendulum.

to place in position or fasten so as to allow easy or ready movement.

to put to death by suspending by the neck from a gallows, gibbet, yardarm, or the like.

to suspend (oneself) by the neck until dead: He hanged himself from a beam in the attic.

to fasten to a cross; crucify.

to furnish or decorate with something suspended: to hang a room with pictures.

to fasten into position; fix at a proper angle: to hang a scythe.

to fasten or attach (wallpaper, pictures, etc.) to a wall: to hang pictures in a room.

to suspend (something) in front of anything: to hang curtains on a window.

Fine Arts.

to exhibit (a painting or group of paintings): The gallery hung his paintings in a small corner.
to put the paintings of (an art exhibition) on the wall of a gallery: They hung the show that morning.

to attach or annex as an addition: to hang a rider on a bill.

to attach (a door or the like) to its frame by means of hinges.

to make (an idea, form, etc.) dependent on a situation, structure, concept, or the like, usually derived from another source: He hung the meaning of his puns on the current political scene.

(of a juror) to keep (a jury) from rendering a verdict by refusing to agree with the others.

Informal. to cause (a nickname, epithet, etc.) to become associated with a person: Friends hung that nickname on him.

Slang. to hit with (a fist, blow, punch, etc.): He hung a left on his opponent's jaw.

Baseball. to throw (a pitch) so that it fails to break, as a curve.

Nautical. to steady (a boat) in one place against a wind or current by thrusting a pole or the like into the bottom under the boat and allowing the wind or current to push the boat side-on against the pole.

(used in mild curses and emphatic expressions, often as a euphemism for damn): I'll be hanged if I do. Hang it all!

verb (used without object), hung or especially for 24, hanged; hang·ing.

to be suspended; dangle.

to swing freely, as on a hinge.

to incline downward, jut out, or lean over or forward: The tree hung over the edge of the lake.

to be suspended by the neck, as from a gallows, and suffer death in this way.

to be crucified.

to be conditioned or contingent; be dependent: His future hangs on the outcome of their discussion.

to be doubtful or undecided; waver or hesitate: He hung between staying and going.

to remain unfinished or undecided; be delayed: Let that matter hang until our next meeting.

to linger, remain, or persist: He hung by her side, unwilling to leave.

to float or hover in the air: Fog hung over the city.

to be oppressive, burdensome, or tedious: guilt that hangs on one's conscience.

to remain in attention or consideration (often followed by on or upon): They hung on his every word.

to fit or drape in graceful lines: That coat hangs well in back.

Fine Arts.

to be exhibited: His works hang in most major museums.
to have one's works on display: Rembrandt hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Informal. to hang out.

noun

the way in which a thing hangs.

Informal. the precise manner of doing, using, etc., something; knack: to get the hang of a tool.

Informal. meaning or thought: to get the hang of a subject.

Nautical.

loss of way due to adverse wind or current.
a rake, as of a mast.

the least degree of care, concern, etc. (used in mild curses and emphatic expressions as a euphemism for damn): He doesn't give a hang about those things.

Verb Phrases

hang around/about, Informal.

to spend time in a certain place or in certain company: He hangs around with an older crowd.
to linger about; loiter: They had stopped working and were just hanging around to talk.

hang back,

to be reluctant to proceed or move forward: The older pupils went straight to the podium, but the younger ones hung back out of shyness.
to refrain from taking action; hesitate: A forward pass would have been the best call, but the quarterback hung back because his last pass had been intercepted.

hang in, Slang. to persevere: She has managed to hang in despite years of bad luck. Also hang in there.

hang on,

to hold fast; cling to.
to continue with effort; persevere: If you can hang on for a month longer, you will be eligible for the bonus.
to be sustained to the point of danger, tedium, etc.: coughs that hang on for months.
to keep a telephone line open: Hang on, I'll see if she's here.
to wait briefly; keep calm.

hang out,

to lean or be suspended through an opening.
Informal. to frequent a particular place, especially in idling away one's free time: to hang out in a bar.
Informal. to loiter in public places: nothing to do on Saturday night but hang out.
Informal. to consort or appear in public with: Who's she been hanging out with?
Slang. to calm down: Hang out, Mom, I'm OK.
to wait, especially briefly: Hang out a minute while I get my backpack.
to suspend in open view; display: to hang out the flag.

hang over,

to remain to be settled; be postponed: They will probably let the final decision hang over until next year.
to be imminent or foreboding; threaten: Economic ruin hangs over the town.

hang up,

to suspend by placing on a hook, peg, or hanger.
to cause or encounter delay; suspend or slow the progress of: The accident hung up the traffic for several hours.
to break a telephone connection by replacing the receiver on the hook: She received an anonymous call, but the party hung up when she threatened to call the police.
to cause a hang-up or hang-ups in: The experience hung her up for years.

Origin of hang

before 900; fusion of 3 verbs: (1) Middle English, Old English hōn to hang (transitive), cognate with Gothic hāhan, orig. *haghan; (2) Middle English hang(i)en, Old English hangian to hang (intransitive), cognate with German hangen; (3) Middle English henge < Old Norse hengja (transitive), cognate with German hängen to hang

synonym study for hang

4. Hang, lynch have in common the meaning of “to put to death,” but lynching is not always by hanging. Hang, in the sense of execute, is in accordance with a legal sentence, the method of execution being to suspend by the neck until dead. To lynch, however, implies the summary putting to death, by any method, of someone charged with a flagrant offense (though guilt may not have been proved). Lynching is done by private persons, usually a mob, without legal authority. 26. depend, rely, rest, hinge.

usage note for hang

Hang has two forms for the past tense and past participle, hanged and hung. The historically older form hanged is now used exclusively in the sense of causing or putting to death: He was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead. In the sense of legal execution, hung is also quite common and is standard in all types of speech and writing except in legal documents. When legal execution is not meant, hung has become the more frequent form: The prisoner hung himself in his cell.

OTHER WORDS FROM hang

hang·a·ble, adjective hang·a·bil·i·ty, noun re·hang, verb (used with object), re·hung or re·hanged, re·hang·ing. un·der·hang, verb, un·der·hung, un·der·hang·ing.

un·hanged, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hang

hang lynch (see synonym study at the current entry) hanged hung (see usage note at the current entry)

Definition for hung (3 of 3)

Hung.

Hungarian. Also Hung

Hungary.

Example sentences from the Web for hung

Beyond the huge American flag that hung over the street, the mile-long mass of cops ended.

Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss |Michael Daly |January 5, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The marchers began to stream out of the park, where they walked West on 110th and then hung a right on 7th Avenue.

Justice League Vigil for Slain NYPD Officers Asks Whose Life Matters |Olivia Nuzzi |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Somebody had hung an American flag and people of the neighborhood had placed bouquets and candles.

'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops |Michael Daly |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Det. 2: (slamming his hand on the table and yelling) You hung her!

How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities |Elizabeth Picciuto |December 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Lemkin hung around the proceedings, disheveled and unkempt, but determined.

The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’ |Nina Strochlic |November 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Mr. Force got up, took an overcoat from a hook on the wall and hung it against the door.

Her Mother's Secret |Emma D. E. N. Southworth
Madame de Noirmont had not a word to say in reply; she hung her head and seemed completely crushed.

The Bashful Lover (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XIX) |Charles Paul de Kock
Foulon is carried off; dragged across the square, and hung to the lamp post.

The Origins of Contemporary France, Volume 2 (of 6) |Hippolyte A. Taine
The signet is hung upon a swivel, and has hieroglyphics on what may be called the reverse.

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 455 |Various
"Good-by," she said, then sighed as she hung up the receiver.

Peggy Raymond's Way |Harriet Lummis Smith

British Dictionary definitions for hung (1 of 3)

hung

/ (hʌŋ) /

verb

the usual past tense and past participle of hang

adjective

(of a legislative assembly) not having a party with a working majoritya hung parliament
unable to reach a decisiona hung jury
(of a situation) unable to be resolved

hung over informal suffering from the effects of a hangover

hung up slang

impeded by some difficulty or delay
in a state of confusion; emotionally disturbed

hung up on slang obsessively or exclusively interested in he's hung up on modern art these days

usage for hung

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

British Dictionary definitions for hung (2 of 3)

Hung.

abbreviation for

Hungarian

Hungary

British Dictionary definitions for hung (3 of 3)

hang

/ (hæŋ) /

verb hangs, hanging or hung (hʌŋ)

to fasten or be fastened from above, esp by a cord, chain, etc; suspend the picture hung on the wall; to hang laundry

to place or be placed in position as by a hinge so as to allow free movement around or at the place of suspension to hang a door

(intr sometimes foll by over) to be suspended or poised; hover a pall of smoke hung over the city

(intr sometimes foll by over) to be imminent; threaten

(intr) to be or remain doubtful or unresolved (esp in the phrase hang in the balance)

(past tense and past participle hanged) to suspend or be suspended by the neck until dead

(tr) to fasten, fix, or attach in position or at an appropriate angle to hang a scythe to its handle

(tr) to decorate, furnish, or cover with something suspended or fastened to hang a wall with tapestry

(tr) to fasten to or suspend from a wall to hang wallpaper

to exhibit (a picture or pictures) by (a particular painter, printmaker, etc) or (of a picture or a painter, etc) to be exhibited in an art gallery, etc

to fall or droop or allow to fall or droop to hang one's head in shame

(of cloth, clothing, etc) to drape, fall, or flow, esp in a specified manner her skirt hangs well

(tr) to suspend (game such as pheasant) so that it becomes slightly decomposed and therefore more tender and tasty

(of a jury) to prevent or be prevented from reaching a verdict

(past tense and past participle hanged) slang to damn or be damned: used in mild curses or interjections I'll be hanged before I'll go out in that storm

(intr) to pass slowly (esp in the phrase time hangs heavily)

hang fire

to be delayed
to procrastinateSee also fire (def. 16)

hang tough See tough (def. 10)

noun

the way in which something hangs

(usually used with a negative) slang a damn I don't care a hang for what you say

get the hang of informal

to understand the technique of doing something
to perceive the meaning or significance of

See also hang about, hang back, hang behind, hang in, hang on, hang out, hang together, hang up, hang with

Word Origin for hang

Old English hangian; related to Old Norse hanga, Old High German hangēn

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

hung

verb

adjective

Idioms for hung

usage note for hung

OTHER WORDS FROM hung

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hung

Words nearby hung

Definition for hung (2 of 3)

verb (used with object), hung or especially for 4, 5, 20, hanged; hang·ing.

verb (used without object), hung or especially for 24, hanged; hang·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of hang

synonym study for hang

usage note for hang

OTHER WORDS FROM hang

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hang

Definition for hung (3 of 3)

Example sentences from the Web for hung

British Dictionary definitions for hung (1 of 3)

verb

adjective

usage for hung

British Dictionary definitions for hung (2 of 3)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for hung (3 of 3)

verb hangs, hanging or hung (hʌŋ)

noun

Word Origin for hang

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

hung

verb

adjective

Idioms for hung

usage note for hung

OTHER WORDS FROM hung

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hung

Words nearby hung

Definition for hung (2 of 3)

verb (used with object), hung or especially for 4, 5, 20, hanged; hang·ing.

verb (used without object), hung or especially for 24, hanged; hang·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of hang

synonym study for hang

usage note for hang

OTHER WORDS FROM hang

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hang

Definition for hung (3 of 3)

Words related to hung

Example sentences from the Web for hung

British Dictionary definitions for hung (1 of 3)

verb

adjective

usage for hung

British Dictionary definitions for hung (2 of 3)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for hung (3 of 3)

verb hangs, hanging or hung (hʌŋ)

noun

Word Origin for hang