Phrasal verb
hang up on
Definition
phrasal verb. to end a phone call suddenly because you are angry with the person you are talking to.
phrasal verb. to terminate a telephonic conversation abruptly and unilaterally, typically as a result of irritation or conflict.
Examples
“Don't hang up on me while I'm talking!”
“He was so rude during our argument that I just decided to hang up on him.”
“The customer service representative was shocked when the caller abruptly hung up on her mid-sentence without providing an account number.”
Examples
simple
“Don't hang up on me while I'm talking!”
contextual
“He was so rude during our argument that I just decided to hang up on him.”
complex
“The customer service representative was shocked when the caller abruptly hung up on her mid-sentence without providing an account number.”
Usage
the object is always the person being disconnected, not the phone itself.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'hang up' (neutral ending of a call); adding 'on' changes the focus to the person being treated rudely.
Pitfall
She hung up the phone on me.
She hung up on me.
while 'hang up the phone' is correct for ending a call, the three-part phrasal verb 'hang up on [someone]' is the standard way to describe cutting someone off.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
hang + up + on + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hang-up-on