Reading Theme:
Hang Up the Phone: Meaning, Usage & Examples
Meaning 1：end a phone call (Hang Up the Phone)
Hang Up the Phone
/hæŋ ʌp ðə foʊn/
v. phr.
To end a telephone call by putting the receiver down or pressing a button.
end a phone call
➕
/ɛnd ə foʊn kɔːl/
v. phr.
To terminate a telephone conversation, typically by putting the receiver down or pressing the end-call button.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
Phrasal verb 'hang up' (hang + up) means to end a call by returning the receiver to its hook.
💡 Mnemonic
Picture a wall phone: you literally 'hang' the receiver 'up' on its hook to end the call.
📖 Example
I told my mom I loved her and then hung up the phone.
I told my mom I loved her and then hung up the phone.
🔗 Collocations
hang up on someone – To abruptly end a call by hanging up while the other person is still speaking
hang up the receiver – To place the telephone receiver back on its cradle
hang up abruptly – To end a call suddenly without proper farewell
🔄 Synonyms
disconnect (v.) – To break the connection of a telephone call
end the call (v. phr.) – To finish a telephone conversation
ring off (v.) – To end a telephone call by putting the receiver down
🚫 Antonyms
answer the phone (v. phr.) – To pick up the receiver or press accept to start a call
pick up (v. phr.) – To lift the receiver to begin a conversation
receive a call (v. phr.) – To accept an incoming telephone call
🌱 Derivatives
hang-up (n.) – An emotional or psychological problem; unrelated to phone calls but same root
📖 Cultural Story
Before smartphones, telephones had a receiver attached by a cord. To end a call, you physically 'hung' the receiver back on the hook, creating this idiomatic phrase.
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