hang up on
phrasal verb.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.
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.
- cut someone off
- disconnect
- end the call
- stay on the line
- keep talking
- Particles
- up on
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- hang + up + on + object
the object is always the person being disconnected, not the phone itself.
contrast with 'hang up' (neutral ending of a call); adding 'on' changes the focus to the person being treated rudely.
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.
Last updated April 24, 2026