Word
hangover
Phoneticshang·over
US/ˈhæˌŋoʊvɝ/
UK/hˈæŋɡəʊvɐ/
Definitions
01after drinking alcohol
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. the headache and sick feeling you get the day after you drink too much alcohol.
n. the unpleasant physical effects, such as headache and nausea, following the excessive consumption of alcohol.
“He woke up with a terrible hangover and promised never to drink that much again.”
“After the wedding celebrations, several guests appeared at breakfast nursing hangovers and requesting strong coffee.”
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'have', 'nurse', or 'suffer from'.
Synonyms
02historical sleeping rope
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic · British English
n. a very old type of bed in a shelter where people slept by leaning over a rope.
n. a historical sleeping arrangement in nineteenth-century homeless shelters where occupants slept sitting up, supported by a tensioned rope.
“In the old days, the poorest people paid a few pennies for a hangover in a crowded room.”
“Social reformers of the Victorian era documented the 'two-penny hangover' as one of the most undignified forms of shelter available to the urban poor.”
Teaching tip
This sense is archaic and rarely understood by modern speakers outside of a historical context.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Consumers can enjoy the closest thing to beer or wine without alcohol, so they don't need to worry about taxi fares or hangovers.” “He says it gives him the effects of alcohol without the hangover.” Etymology
American English; hang + over. First sense was first attested in 1904. Second sense was first attested in 1894.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
The word in film
The Hangover · 2009 · Comedy
- Directed by:
- Todd Phillips
- Starring:
- Bradley Cooper, Mike Tyson, Heather Graham
Todd Phillips directs this comedy about three friends who wake up in Las Vegas with no memory of the previous night. The title describes the painful physical state they are in as they try to find their missing friend after a wild party.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/hangover