■ verb ( past and past participle hung except in sense 2)
1》 suspend or be suspended from above with the lower part not attached.
↘attach or be attached so as to allow free movement about the point of attachment.
↘attach (meat or game) to a hook and leave it until dry, tender, or high.
↘(of fabric or a garment) fall or drape in a specified way.
↘paste (wallpaper) to a wall.
↘( be hung with ) be decorated with (pictures or other decorations).
2》 ( past and past participle ~ed ) kill by tying a rope attached from above around the neck and removing the support from beneath the feet (used as a form of capital punishment).
↘be killed by ~ing.
3》 remain static in the air.
↘be present or imminent, especially oppressively: a sense of dread hung over him.
4》 Computing come unexpectedly to a state in which no further operations can be carried out.
5》 Baseball deliver (a pitch) which does not c~e direction and is easily hit by a batter.
6》 N. Amer. informal way of saying ~ around (in sense 2) or ~ out .
■ noun a downward droop or bend.
↘the way in which something ~s or is hung.
■ exclamation dated used in expressions as a mild oath: well, ~ it all!
Phrases
get the ~ of informal learn how to operate or do.
~ fire delay or be delayed in taking action.
~ a left (or right ) N. Amer. informal make a left (or right) turn.
~ someone out to dry informal leave someone in a difficult or vulnerable situation.
~ ten ride a surfboard with all ten toes curled over the board's front edge.
~ tough N. Amer. informal be or remain inflexible or firmly resolved.
let it all ~ out informal be very relaxed or uninhibited.
not care (or give ) a ~ informal not care at all.
Phrasal verbs
~ around (or round or Brit. about )
1》 loiter; wait around.
2》 ( ~ around with ) associate with.
~ back remain behind.
↘show reluctance to act or move.
~ in (often ~ in there ) informal remain persistent and determined in difficult circumstances.
~ on
1》 hold tightly.
↘ informal remain firm or resolved.
2》 informal wait for a short time.
3》 be contingent or dependent on.
4》 listen closely to.
~ out informal spend time relaxing or enjoying oneself.
~ together
1》 make sense; be consistent.
2》 (of people) help or support one another.
~ up end a telephone conversation by cutting the connection.
Origin
OE ~ian (v.), of W. Gmc origin, reinforced by the ON verb ~a .
Usage
Hang has two past tense and past participle forms: ~ed and hung . Use hung in most general uses, e.g. he hung the picture on the wall , but use ~ed to refer to execution by ~ing: the prisoner was ~ed .