to hang
- verb
- /hæŋ/
- Specialized
- The video game often hangs during the loading screen, leaving players waiting.
Examples
-
And if you don't tell me why you called... in about fifteen seconds, I'll have to hang up on you.
-
No, no, no, no, don't hang up, don't hang up.
-
Look, Duncan, just, hang on a little longer, alright?
-
Before we hung up, I asked Robin if he knew Zerlina's last name.
Fiction book (1990) -
Don't hang up.
-
When using the app, my phone tends to hang and I have to restart it.
-
After I updated the software, my laptop would frequently hang when I tried to open files.
Antonyms
Idioms
To be in a situation where the result is not decided, for example a job or game
- Informal
In a very dangerous situation where a small problem can cause everything to fail
- Archaic
To not have enough evidence to prove someone is guilty or to take action
- Archaic
To stop doing an activity, especially to stop playing music for good
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
To relax completely and show your true feelings without holding back
Compounds
- Informal
An emotional problem that makes someone feel nervous or unable to act normally
A sport of flying a light aircraft without an engine launched from a hill or cliff
A light flying craft without a motor like a large kite that a person hangs under to fly
- Jargon
A position on rings where a gymnast hangs upside down with hips bent and legs straight
- Jargon
A position on rings or parallel bars with the body straight and arms at the sides
How Unresponsive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Hang is used for computers because of the old idea of being 'stuck' while suspended, so when a program 'hangs' it stops moving or responding, as if it is frozen in mid-air.