hanging up on someone

Meanings

1. 1phrasephrasal verbinformal

   Ending a phone call suddenly, especially before the other person has finished speaking.

   Grammar: Intransitive phrasal verb; the person is introduced with 'on': hang up on someone.

   Patterns

   • hang up on someone
   • be hanging up on someone

   I was still explaining when he started hanging up on me.

   She keeps hanging up on me whenever I mention the money.

   Hanging up on someone in the middle of an argument only makes things worse.

2. 2phrasephrasal verbinformal

   Ending a call with a particular person, often because you are angry or do not want to talk.

   Grammar: Same pattern; the focus is on the person you refuse to continue talking to.

   Patterns

   • hang up on someone
   • keep hanging up on someone

   He apologized for hanging up on his mother during the argument.

   Don't make a habit of hanging up on people; it feels disrespectful.

Word forms

Common combinations

hang up on someone in the middle of a sentence

It's rude to hang up on someone in the middle of a sentence.

keep hanging up on someone

If you keep hanging up on him, he'll stop calling.

accuse someone of hanging up on you

She accused me of hanging up on her, but the call just dropped.

hang up on someone during an argument

Hanging up on someone during an argument rarely solves anything.

hang up the phone

He hung up the phone without saying goodbye.

Synonyms and how they differ

cut someone off

Can mean ending a call, but it more often refers to interrupting someone while they are speaking.

end the call

Neutral and formal; it does not suggest rudeness the way 'hang up on' usually does.

put the phone down on someone

A British-sounding phrase with a similar meaning, but it can also mean simply placing the phone down.

Opposites

Word family

hang up phrasal verb

To end a phone call, without mentioning the other person.

hang-up noun

An emotional problem or fear that stops you doing something; spelled with a hyphen.

call back phrasal verb

To phone someone again after an earlier call.

Commonly confused: hanging up on someone or hang on?

Practice

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