hung

hung — verb

1. the form of the verb 'hang' that is used to describe actions that happened in th

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

the form of the verb 'hang' that is used to describe actions that happened in the past, or as the past participle after 'have' or 'had' in perfect tenses.

Example

Christopher hung his coat on the hook by the door before entering the house.

transitive: hung + object + on + location

Jiwoo hung the new curtains in her bedroom last Saturday afternoon.

Common collocations
  • hung + object + on/in/over
  • hung from
  • be hung with
  • hung out to dry

Grammar Patterns

hung + object + location prepositional phrase (transitive)

subject + hung + location prepositional phrase (intransitive)

Usage Note

Use 'hung' for objects such as clothes, pictures, or decorations. For the execution of a person by rope, use 'hanged' instead — 'hung' is considered incorrect in that context.

Common Mistakes

The prisoner was hung at dawn.
The prisoner was hanged at dawn.
Use 'hanged' for executions; 'hung' is only for objects, not people.
Idioms

be hung up on / about somebody or something

idiom

to be unable to stop thinking about someone or something, often in a worried or obsessive way; to give too much importance to a particular issue.

Élise is still hung up on her ex-boyfriend even though they broke up two years ago.

The manager is too hung up about small details and never looks at the bigger picture.

be / get hung out to dry

idiom

to be left alone to face a difficult situation without any help or support from others who were previously involved.

When the project failed, the junior staff were hung out to dry while the senior managers escaped blame.

Marco felt his colleagues had hung him out to dry by refusing to support his proposal at the meeting.

hung — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe situations where no final decision has been made, but they differ in context and implication. 'Hung' is the most restricted — it is used almost exclusively in legal and political settings to describe a jury, parliament, or verdict where opposing sides are evenly balanced. 'Deadlocked' is broader; it applies to any negotiation or discussion that has stopped because neither side will give way, from business meetings to peace talks. 'Stalemated' is similar but slightly more formal, and often carries the nuance that neither side can make progress even if they want to. 'Undecided' is the most general and informal — it can describe anything from a personal choice ('I'm still undecided about which car to buy') to an election result. For example, a jury can be hung, deadlocked, or stalemated, but only a hung jury is the precise legal term for a jury that cannot produce a verdict.

hung ↗deadlockedstalematedundecided ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • hung out to dry
  • hung up on

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishModern English

'Hung' is the past form of the Old English verb 'hangian', which itself came from a Germanic root meaning 'to be suspended' or 'to cause to be attached from above without support from below'. The adjective sense (a hung jury or hung parliament) developed in the 1800s, drawing on the idea of being 'suspended' — a decision that hangs in the air, unresolved.