hang-up

or hang·up

[ hang-uhp ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a preoccupation, fixation, or psychological block; complex:

   His hang-up is trying to outdo his brother.

2. a source of annoying difficulty or burden; impediment; snag:

   The most serious hang-up the project has is a shortage of funds.

3. a fixture, object, or decoration that can be affixed to a wall, ceiling, other objects, etc.:

   He brightened up the room with flower baskets and other hang-ups.

hang up

verb

1. tr to put on a hook, hanger, etc

   please hang up your coat

2. to replace (a telephone receiver) on its cradle at the end of a conversation, often breaking a conversation off abruptly
3. informal.
   tr; usually passiveusually foll byon to cause to have an emotional or psychological preoccupation or problem

   he's really hung up on his mother

noun

1. an emotional or psychological preoccupation or problem
2. a persistent cause of annoyance

Word History and Origins

Origin of hang-up¹

First recorded in 1955–60; noun use of verb phrase hang up

Example Sentences

Trump has reportedly had a hang-up about his mitts since Greydon Carter's Spy magazine called him a "short-fingered vulgarian" three decades ago.

From Salon

Among those 16 states, the average call center wait time was 25 minutes and the average hang-up rate was 29%.

From Seattle Times

The cost was a hang-up, however, with Democratic budget leaders this session deciding to prioritize dollars for existing programs rather than new programs, he said.

From Seattle Times

The hang-up is simply that we have to run these routes for an entire day and the window to charge them is just a small window overnight.

From Salon

“Eggs are the biggest hang-up when scaling down,” Johnson says.

From Washington Post