# Hung

/ˈhəŋ/ (US) · /hˈʌŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hung
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 2. legal/political deadlock

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

describes a group, like a jury or a parliament, that cannot make a final decision because they do not agree.

For teachers: describing a deliberative body, such as a jury or legislature, that is unable to reach a necessary majority or unanimous verdict.

- The trial ended with a hung jury, so the case will be heard again.
- The recent election resulted in a hung parliament, forcing the two largest parties to negotiate a coalition agreement.

Usage: Commonly used in the fixed phrases 'hung jury' and 'hung parliament'.

### 3. computer crash

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal · Technical

describes a computer or phone that has stopped responding and will not work.

For teachers: referring to a computer system or software application that has ceased to respond to user input while remaining powered on.

- My laptop is hung on the loading screen and I cannot move the mouse.
- The server became hung after the memory leak exhausted all available resources, necessitating a hard reboot.

Teaching tip: While 'frozen' is more common in everyday speech, 'hung' is frequently used by IT professionals and developers.

### 4. sexual slang

adjective · CEFR C2 · Slang · Vulgar

a slang term used to describe a man with a large penis.

For teachers: a colloquial and often vulgar reference to male genital size.

- He made a crude joke about being well hung.
- The locker room banter included several vulgar remarks about which athletes were considered well hung.

Usage: Almost always preceded by the adverb 'well'.

## Examples

- She hung her coat on the hook by the door.
- The gallery owner hung the new paintings yesterday to prepare for the weekend exhibition.
- The computer system hung during the final stage of the update, forcing the technician to perform a hard reset to recover the lost data.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.