What does hangup mean?
A hangup originally names the abrupt ending of a telephone connection, so “I got a hangup” means that a call was cut off before it ended normally. In informal North American usage, the word also means an obstacle, snag, or unresolved problem that prevents a plan from moving forward. A less common psychological sense refers to an inhibition or persistent emotional difficulty. The telephone sense is neutral and widely understood; the broader obstacle sense is more conversational and can sound dismissive if used carelessly. Although the compound is now usually written as one word when it is a noun, the related verb phrase remains two words: “hang up.” Writers often reach for “hangup” when they need a familiar label for a delay, blocked decision, or technical failure. The word is especially useful because it links a concrete communications event to the modern language of friction and obstruction.
nounA hangup is an abrupt termination of a telephone connection. In informal North American usage, it can also mean an obstacle or problem that impedes progress.
- An abrupt termination of a telephone connection.
- An obstacle, snag, or problem that prevents progress.
- A psychological inhibition or persistent emotional difficulty.
"She spent the afternoon tracing a recurring hangup in the checkout process."
"The operator reported a phone hangup after the customer heard a sudden burst of static."
"Finding affordable childcare was the main hangup in their plan to return to work."
The plural is hangups in current one-word spelling; hang-ups also appears in older or hyphenated usage.
"The technicians documented two separate line hangups that afternoon."
A phone call that ends early became a metaphor for every obstacle that stops a plan dead.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hangup come from?
Hangup is a compound formed from the verb hang and the particle up. The expression dates from the nineteenth century and became especially familiar through its telephone sense, denoting the ending of a connection. By the early twentieth century, it had been extended figuratively to mean an impediment to progress, with the psychological sense developing later. Hang itself descends from Old English and ultimately from Old Norse, and is cognate with German hängen and Dutch hangen.
How hangup is actually used
The telephone sense is neutral and widely understood. The obstacle sense is informal and particularly associated with North American English, while the psychological sense is now less common.
Easily confused with hangup
Hangup is the noun for the abrupt end of a call; hang up is the two-word phrasal verb meaning to end a call.