Hung Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms hung 1 American [huhng] / hʌŋ /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of hang.

adjective

1. Slang: Usually Vulgar.

   1. (used to describe the size of a man's penis in expressions such as hung like a horse , hung like a bull , andhung like a field mouse. )

   2. (of a man) having a large penis; well-hung.

      That guy is hung!

idioms

1. hung up on,

   1. obsessed by.

      a clerk hung up on petty details.

   2. infatuated with.

2. hung over. hungover.

3. hung up,

   1. detained unavoidably.

      They were hung up in bad traffic and missed their flight.

   2. stymied or baffled by a problem.

   3. hung-up.

   4. Baseball, Softball. (of a base runner) trapped between bases and in danger of being tagged out.

Hung. 2 American

abbreviation

1. Hungarian. Also Hung

2. Hungary.

hung 1 British / hʌŋ /

verb

1. the usual past tense and past participle of hang

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

1. 1. (of a legislative assembly) not having a party with a working majority

      a hung parliament

   2. unable to reach a decision

      a hung jury

   3. (of a situation) unable to be resolved

2. informal suffering from the effects of a hangover

3. slang

   1. impeded by some difficulty or delay

   2. in a state of confusion; emotionally disturbed

4. slang obsessively or exclusively interested in

   he's hung up on modern art these days

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Hung. 2 British

abbreviation

1. Hungarian

2. Hungary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

See hang.

For most senses of hang the past tense and past participle is hung : I hung the curtains; he had hung the new painting on the wall . However, when the meaning is 'to suspend or be suspended by the neck until dead', the past tense and past participle is hanged : the traitors were hanged; they had hanged him at dawn . This form is also used in the idiom I'll be hanged

Other Word Forms

• unhung adjective

Etymology

Origin of hung

First recorded in 1635–45, for the adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That night, we wrapped our tree in lights and hung ornaments—each attached to a memory—on its branches.

From The Wall Street Journal

In December, a survey of consumer confidence fell to an eight-month low and hung near the lowest level since the pandemic.

From MarketWatch

In December, a survey of consumer confidence fell to an eight-month low and hung near the lowest level since the pandemic.

From MarketWatch

Companies like Everlasting Comfort sell packable “foot hammocks,” which can be hung from your tray table.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some people managed to climb over to the ferry, while others swam for it, hung onto the rails and got pulled up by others.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.