Meaning & use
hang up on
Last updated
Meaning
verbtransitive
To end a phone call with someone suddenly, especially because you are angry.
Grammar: Takes an object after on: She hung up on me. You cannot say 'hang up me on'.
Patterns
- hang up on someone
- hang up on each other
I can't believe you hung up on me in the middle of our conversation.
He hung up on the customer service agent after waiting on hold for an hour.
Don't hang up on her — she's just trying to explain.
Common combinations
- hang up on someone
- She was so annoyed that she hung up on him.
- hang up on a caller
- The receptionist accidentally hung up on an important caller.
- hang up on each other
- They argued on the phone and ended up hanging up on each other.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cut off
- Cut off often means the call was disconnected by accident or by the phone company; hang up on someone is deliberate.
- end the call
- End the call is neutral and can be polite; hang up on someone usually suggests anger or rudeness.
Word family
Commonly confused: hang up on or hang onto?
hang up on vs hang onto
Hang onto means to keep something; hang up on means to end a phone call angrily.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hang up on' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Hang up on means to end a phone call with someone, usually angrily. The other options confuse it with hang up (to put clothes on a hook) or hang onto (to keep something).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hang up on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.