Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense hooks, present participle hooking, past tense, past participle hooked
1. countable noun
A hook is a bent piece of metal or plastic that is used for catching or holding things, or for hanging things up.
One of his jackets hung from a hook.
...curtain hooks.
He felt a fish pull at his hook.
Synonyms: fastener, catch, link, lock More Synonyms of hook
2. verb
If you hook one thing to another, you attach it there using a hook. If something hooks somewhere, it can be hooked there.
Paul hooked his tractor to the car and pulled it to safety. [V n + to/onto]
...one of those can openers that hooked onto the wall. [V + onto]
Synonyms: fasten, fix, secure, catch More Synonyms of hook
3. verb
If you hook your arm, leg, or foot round an object, you place it like a hook round the objectin order to move it or hold it.
She latched on to his arm, hooking her other arm around a tree. [VERB noun preposition]
I hooked my left arm over the side of the dinghy. [VERB noun preposition]
Synonyms: curl, curve, crook, loop More Synonyms of hook
4. verb
If you hook a fish, you catch it with a hook on the end of a line.
At the first cast I hooked a huge fish. [VERB noun]
5. countable noun [usually adjective NOUN]
A hook is a short sharp blow with your fist that you make with your elbow bent, usually in a boxing match.
He was knocked down by a left hook in the first round.
6. verb
If you are hooked into something, or hook into something, you get involved with it.
[mainly US]
I'm guessing again now because I'm not hooked into the political circles. [be/getV-ed + into]
Eager to hook into a career but can't find one right for you? [VERB + into]
7. verb
If you hookinto the internet, you make a connection with the internet on a particular occasion so that you can use it.
...an interactive media tent where people will be able to hook into the internet. [VERB + into]
Hook up means the same as hook.
It has no mobile connectivity, which means that users must rely on wi-fi to hookup to the internet. [VERBPARTICLE + to]
8.
See to let someone off the hook
9.
See off the hook
10.
See ringing off the hook
11. by hook or by crook
12. hook, line, and sinker
Phrasal verbs:
See hook up
More Synonyms of hook
hook in British English
(hʊk)
noun
1.
a piece of material, usually metal, curved or bent and used to suspend, catch, hold, or pull something
2. short for fish-hook
3.
a trap or snare
4. mainly US
something that attracts or is intended to be an attraction
5.
something resembling a hook in design or use
6.
a.
a sharp bend or angle in a geological formation, esp a river
b.
a sharply curved spit of land
7. boxing
a short swinging blow delivered from the side with the elbow bent
8. cricket
a shot in which the ball is hit square on the leg side with the bat held horizontally
9. golf
a shot that causes the ball to swerve sharply from right to left
10. surfing
the top of a breaking wave
11. Also called: hookcheck ice hockey
the act of hooking an opposing player
12. music
a stroke added to the stem of a written or printed note to indicate time values shorter than a crotchet
13.
a catchy musical phrase in a pop song
14. another name for a sickle
15. a nautical word for anchor
16. by hook or crook
17. get the hook
18. hook, line, and sinker
19. off the hook
20. on one's own hook
21. on the hook
22. sling one's hook
verb
23. (often foll by up)
to fasten or be fastened with or as if with a hook or hooks
24. (transitive)
to catch (something, such as a fish) on a hook
25.
to curve like or into the shape of a hook
26. (transitive)
(of bulls, elks, etc) to catch or gore with the horns
27. (transitive)
to make (a rug) by hooking yarn through a stiff fabric backing with a special instrument
28. (transitive; often foll bydown)
to cut (grass or herbage) with a sickle
to hook down weeds
29. boxing
to hit (an opponent) with a hook
30. ice hockey
to impede (an opposing player) by catching hold of him or her with the stick
31. golf
to play (a ball) with a hook
32. rugby
to obtain and pass (the ball) backwards from a scrum to a member of one's team, using the feet
33. cricket
to play (a ball) with a hook
34. (transitive) informal
to trick
35. (transitive) a slang word for steal
36. hook it
Derived forms
hookless (ˈhookless)
adjective
hooklike (ˈhookˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English hōc; related to Middle Dutch hōk, Old Norse haki
hook in American English
(hʊk)
noun
1.
a curved or bent piece of metal, wood, etc. used to catch, hold, or pull something
; specif.,
a.
a curved piece of wire or bone with a barbed end, for catching fish
b.
a curved piece of metal, wood, etc. fastened to a wall or chain at one end, used to hang things on, raise things up, etc.
a coat hook
c.
a small metal catch inserted in a loop, or eye, to fasten clothes together
d. Nautical; Slang
an anchor
2.
a curved metal implement for cutting grain, etc.
3.
something shaped like a hook
; specif.,
a.
a curving cape or headland
used in place names
Sandy Hook
b.
a sharp bend in a stream
4.
a trap; snare
5. Informal
something intended to attract attention or encourage involvement; specif., in popular music, a catchy, repeated phrase, verse, riff, etc.
6.
a.
the path of a hit or thrown ball that curves away to the left from a right-handed player or to the right from a left-handed player
b.
a ball that follows such a path
7. Boxing
a short, sharp blow delivered with the arm bent at the elbow
8. Music
flag1 (sense 7)
verb transitive
9.
to attach or fasten with or as with a hook or hook and eye
10.
to take hold of with a hook
11.
to catch with or as with a hook
12.
to attack with the horns, as a bull; gore
13.
to make into the shape of a hook
14. US
to make (a rug, wall hanging, etc.) by drawing strips of yarn or cloth with a hook through a canvas or burlap backing
15.
to hit or throw (a ball) in a hook (sense 6) hook (sense 6a)
16. Informal
a.
to tempt or attract
b.
to cause addiction to
c.
to steal; snatch
17. Boxing
to hit with a hook
verb intransitive
18.
to curve as a hook does
19.
to be fastened with a hook or hooks
20.
to be caught by a hook
21. US, Slang
to work as a prostitute
Idioms:
by hook or by crook
get the hook
hook, line, and sinker
hook up
off the hook
on one's own hook
Word origin
ME < OE hoc, akin to hake, MDu hoec, ON hakr < IE base *keg-, peg for hanging; (sense 4) back-form. < hooker1 (sense 3)
More idioms containing
hook
do something by hook or by crook
sling your hook
ring off the hook
on your own hook
get off the hook
Examples of 'hook' in a sentence
hook
Then he took his phone off the hook.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Dear Deidre I'VE discovered my girlfriend has been trying to hook up with another guy.
The Sun (2016)
From the first paragraph in you are, once again, hooked.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The men I spoke to genuinely thought they'd completed their families then divorce hit and they hooked up with childless women.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The hooks usually attached to his arms were missing.
The Sun (2006)
We hooked up again at a reunion a few months ago.
The Sun (2012)
Unless he can get off the hook.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We were well rewarded when our hunter hooked a big seal on to the ice.
Edward Beauclerk Maurice THE LAST OF THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS: Coming of Age in the Arctic (2004)
My phone hooked up with minimum fuss.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The last thing he should do after the show is hook up with another celebrity.
The Sun (2011)
Games makers are now making an effort to keep players hooked until the end.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We were the ones who were hooked.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Sometimes people with a fairly powerful left hook.
The Sun (2013)
By attaching a grappling hook to a rope up to five miles long.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
This is an intelligent and authentic series that will have you hooked once again.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
How can we get off this hook?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They told of one car company that hooks people up to electrical equipment and cameras and runs images past them.
Christianity Today (2000)
Music first hooked her at four.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Now fast-forward and the great fish is hooked.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
These metal monkey door hooks fit doors up to 4cm thick to provide extra hanging space.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There were no handbags, only right hooks.
The Sun (2010)
Something unexpected, hooking me up with musicians from the other side of the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Its hooks catch in the clothes of passers-by.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They sounded like a montage of countless funk and soul classics, but lacked the hooks to become hits.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The dogs were dragged out using special poles that hooked round their necks, and loaded into cages in cars.
The Sun (2009)
In other languages
hook
British English: hook /hʊk/ NOUN
A hook is a bent piece of metal or plastic that is used for catching or holding things, or for hanging things up.
He felt a fish pull at his hook.
American English: hook
Arabic: كُلَّاب
Brazilian Portuguese: gancho
Chinese: 钩子
Croatian: kuka
Czech: hák
Danish: krog
Dutch: haak
European Spanish: gancho
Finnish: koukku
French: crochet
German: Haken
Greek: γάντζος
Italian: gancio
Japanese: フック
Korean: 갈고리
Norwegian: krok
Polish: hak
European Portuguese: gancho
Romanian: cârlig
Russian: крюк
Latin American Spanish: gancho
Swedish: krok
Thai: ตะขอ
Turkish: kanca
Ukrainian: гачок
Vietnamese: móc
British English: hook VERB
If you hook one thing to another, you attach it there using a hook.
He hooked his tractor to the car and pulled it to safety.
American English: hook
Brazilian Portuguese: engatar
Chinese: 钩
European Spanish: enganchar
French: accrocher
German: anhaken
Italian: agganciare
Japanese: フックで留める
Korean: 고리로 걸다
European Portuguese: engatar
Latin American Spanish: enganchar
All related terms of 'hook'
hook it
to run or go quickly away
hook-up
When someone hooks up a computer or other electronic machine , they connect it to other similar machines or to a central power supply .
boat hook
a hook mounted at the end of a pole, used to pull or push boats toward or away from a landing , to pick up a mooring , etc
cant hook
a heavy wooden lever with a blunt tip and a hinged hook near the end: used by lumbermen in handling logs
fifi hook
a metal hook at the top of an é trier for attaching it to a peg and also connected by a cord to the climber's harness to pull the étrier up and prevent it being dropped
fish hook
a bent piece of metal, often barbed and baited , which is used for catching fish
gang hook
a multiple fishhook consisting of several, usually three , hooks with their shanks joined
hook shot
a one-handed shot in which the extended arm is brought sideways over the head in tossing the ball toward the basket
hook-tip
any of several moths of the genus Daepana, characterized by the hooked point on each forewing
hook turn
a right turn made from the left-hand lane of a dual carriageway
meat hook
a metal hook on which the carcase of an animal that has been slaughtered for food is hung
dough-hook
an attachment for an electric mixer that kneads dough
Sandy Hook
narrow, sandy peninsula in E N. J ., at the S entrance to Lower New York Bay
screw hook
a screw with a hook for a head
crochet hook
a hooked needle used for crocheting
curtain hook
a hook used to attach a curtain to a curtain rail
pelican hook
a hinged hook that can be quickly secured or released by a sliding ring
pruning hook
a tool with a curved steel blade terminating in a hook , used for pruning
reaping hook
a curved cutting tool with a sharp edge, used in the cutting or harvesting of crops
get the hook
to be dismissed from employment
hook and eye
a fastening for clothes consisting of a small hook hooked onto a small metal or thread loop
off the hook
If you take a phone off the hook , you take the receiver off the part that it normally rests on, so that the phone will not ring .
on the hook
waiting
hookup
the arrangement and connection of parts, circuits, etc. in a radio, telephone system, network of radio stations , etc.
beautiful hook-tip
a similar but unrelated species , Laspeyria flexula
by hook or crook
by any means
get off the hook
to manage to get out of the awkward situation you are in without being punished or blamed
hook and ladder
a fire engine that carries long ladders , hooks for tearing down ceilings , and other equipment
Hook of Holland
a cape on the SW coast of the Netherlands , in South Holland province
on your own hook
alone , without any help
sling one's hook
to leave
sling your hook
to go away
on one's own hook
on one's own initiative
ring off the hook
if your telephone is ringing off the hook , so many people are trying to call you that it is ringing all the time
by hook or by crook
If someone says they will do something by hook or by crook , they are determined to do it, even if they have to make a great effort or use dishonest means.
ringing off the hook
If your phone is ringing off the hook , so many people are trying to phone you that it is ringing constantly.
hook, line, and sinker
You can use hook , line , and sinker to emphasize that someone is tricked or forced into a situation completely.
butcher's
a look
grappling iron
a grapnel , esp one used for securing ships
lash-up
a temporary connection of equipment for experimental or emergency use
to let someone off the hook
If someone gets off the hook or is let off the hook , they manage to get out of the awkward or unpleasant situation that they are in.
do something by hook or by crook
to do something even if it is very difficult for you, or you have to use dishonest means
swallow something hook, line, and sinker
to be fooled into believing something completely and being deceived by it
Hoek van Holland
a cape on the SW coast of the Netherlands , in South Holland province