hook

HUUK/hʊk/

Pluralhooks

Verbhooks, hooking, hooked

52 meanings of hook

Practice

1
curved holdernouncountable
A bent piece of metal used to hold, hang, or catch something.
Like a curved finger that grabs and holds things.
She hung her coat on a hook by the door.
The crane lifted the load with a heavy steel hook.
UsageHang things on a hook.
Similarpeg
Note
2
verbtransitive
To attach or connect one thing to another, often using a hook.
Can you hook the two train cars together?
Once the cable was hooked into the wall, the TV worked.
UsageSay hook up a computer, or hook it into something.
Similarconnect, attach, link, fasten, hitch
Oppositedisconnect, detach, unfasten
3
make addictedverbtransitive
To make someone want something so much they cannot stop.
Like getting caught on something you can't pull away from.
That first episode really hooked me.
Video games can hook young players fast.
UsageSay get hooked on something.
Similarcaptivate, grip, enthrall, engross, rivet
Oppositebore
4
for fishingnouncountable
A small, sharp, curved piece of metal used to catch fish.
Like a tiny bent pin that holds onto a fish's mouth.
He baited the hook with a worm before casting.
The fish slipped off the hook at the last moment.
5
catchy tunenouncountable
A short, catchy part of a song that you remember easily.
Like the one bit of a song you can't stop humming.
The song's hook stayed in my head all day.
Everyone was singing the hook by the second chorus.
Similarriff, refrain, motif, chorus
Note
6
catch fishverbtransitive
To catch a fish or other animal using a hook.
Like catching a ring with a stick.
I usually hook two or three fish before lunch.
She hooked a large trout on her first cast.
Similarcatch, snag
7
nouncountable
An idea or opening that catches people's interest and makes them want to keep reading or watching.
Like a bright sign that pulls people in to look closer.
The movie's big hook is that the hero loses his memory.
Every good pitch needs a strong hook.
UsageSay the hook is that something happens.
Similargimmick, angle, draw, lure
Note
8
punchnouncountable
A punch thrown with a bent arm that swings in from the side.
Like swinging your arm in a curve to reach around something.
She knocked him down with a sharp left hook.
His hook caught his opponent on the jaw.
UsageSay a left hook or a right hook.
Note
9
crochet needlenouncountable
A curved needle used to make crochet by pulling loops of yarn.
Like a tiny curved tool that loops yarn together.
She picked up her hook and a ball of soft yarn.
A smaller hook makes tighter, neater stitches.
UsageMost people say crochet hook.
10
programmingnouncountable
A place in a program where you can add or change how it works.
Like leaving a small door open so you can add new parts later.
The plugin uses a hook to change the menu.
Developers added a hook so others could extend the app.
Note
11
sand stripnouncountable
A long, thin strip of sand or gravel that bends back toward land at its end.
Like a finger of sand that curls back toward the shore.
Boats sheltered in the calm water behind the hook.
A lighthouse marked the tip of the sandy hook.
Similarspit, cape, point, headland
Note
12
nouncountable
In bowling, a ball that curves as it rolls toward the pins.
My uncle can bowl a hook that curves right into the pins.
Her hooks kept rolling into the gutter last night.
Note
13
verbtransitive
To put something, bent like a hook, into or through something else.
She likes to hook her thumbs in her pockets while she waits.
He hooked his arm through his grandmother's arm to help her up the steps.
UsageSay hook a finger into something.
Similarcurl
14
verbtransitive or intransitive
In basketball, cricket, or golf, to hit or throw the ball with a kind of shot called a hook.
Watch him hook the ball over the tall player and into the basket.
The golfer hooked her first shot into the trees on the left.
Note

Less common meanings

15
trap in debtverbtransitive
To catch someone in a trap or a promise they cannot easily get out of.
The shop offers a free phone to hook you into a two-year contract.
The gang hooked the boy with a loan he could never pay back.
UsageSay hook someone into something.
Similarensnare, trap, lure, entrap, snare
16
basketballnouncountable
In basketball, a one-handed shot where a player sweeps the ball up and over toward the basket.
Like reaching your arm up and over to toss a ball into a high basket.
His hook dropped softly through the net.
The center scored with a smooth hook over the taller player.
UsagePeople also say hook shot.
Note
17
news anglenouncountable
A link to a recent event or trend that makes a news story feel timely.
The new superhero movie gave the paper a hook for a story about comic books.
When the storm hit Florida, every TV station looked for a local hook.
UsageSay a news hook or a hook for a story.
Similarangle, peg, tie-in
18
golfnouncountable
In golf, a shot that curves sharply to the left by mistake for right-handed players (to the right for left-handed players).
Like throwing a ball that bends left instead of going straight.
Her drive turned into a hook and rolled into the trees.
He fixed his hook by changing how he held the club.
Oppositeslice
Note
19
baseballnouncountable
In baseball, a pitch that curves as it flies toward the batter.
Like a ball that suddenly bends away just before you can hit it.
The pitcher's hook dropped right past the batter's swing.
He could not hit the hook all game.
Similarcurveball, curve
Note
20
forced exitnouncolloquial
Being made to leave a group or activity.
Like being told to leave a game because you kept breaking the rules.
The comedian got the hook after his jokes fell flat.
She got the hook from the team for missing too many practices.
UsageUsed in get the hook or give someone the hook.
Similarsack, boot, axe, chop, push
21
verbtransitive
To make cloth by pulling yarn through loops with a small hooked tool.
Like pulling thread through loops again and again to build cloth.
I hook scarves to sell at the winter market.
She hooked a soft blanket for the new baby.
UsageA hooked rug usually has loops pulled through a cloth base. This is different from crochet.
Similarcrochet
Note
22
gate hingenouncountable
The fixed part of a hinge on a post that a door hangs on and turns.
Like the pin that a door swings around.
The old gate hangs on a single iron hook set into the post.
When the hook on the gatepost loosened, the door sagged.
Similarpintle
23
baitnouncountable
A trap or snare meant to catch or trick someone.
Like bait set out to catch an animal.
The cheap offer was just a hook to trap buyers.
The fake prize email was a hook to catch careless people.
Similartrap, snare, lure, bait, ploy
Note
24
sell sexverbslangintransitive
To work as a prostitute.
Some people hook to make money when they have no other choice.
She was arrested for hooking that night.
25
cricketnouncountable
In cricket, a swing of the bat that hits a high ball away to the leg side.
Like swatting a high ball sideways with a flat swing.
His hook sailed over the boundary for six runs.
She played a risky hook off the fast bowler.
UsageYou play a hook, or simply hook the ball.
Note
26
winning holdnouncountable
A hold or position that gives you an advantage.
Like grabbing the better end of the rope in a tug-of-war.
She got a hook on his leg and pulled him down to the mat.
The wrestler used a tight hook to keep his rival pinned.
Similarhold, grip, edge, handle, advantage
Note
27
letter loopnouncountable
A curved loop, like a hook, found below some written letters such as g and j.
Like a small curved tail hanging under a letter.
The calligrapher drew a graceful hook beneath the letter g.
Each j ended in a neat little hook.
Similartail, loop, descender
28
noun
A small mark shaped like the top of a question mark, written above a letter.
29
nounslang
A person who has sex for money.
I was talkin' to a couple of the 'hooks' (female prostitutes) I know.
1983, G. W. Levi Kamel, Downtown Street Hustlers
30
nouncolloquial
The heavy anchor that keeps a ship from drifting.
31
noun
A farm tool with a curved blade for cutting.
32
noun
A bone that sticks out on each side of a cow's back end.
33
noun
Land planted with crops for two years running.
34
nounslang
A card play trying to win a trick with a lower card, guessing who holds the higher one.
35
nounslang
The jack card in a pack of cards.
36
noun
In a word game, adding one letter to a word to make a new word.
37
nounrare
A small v-shaped mark over a letter.
In Czech, palatalization is normally indicated by the symbol ˇ, called haček or “hook.”
2003, David Adams, The Song and Duet Texts of Antonín Dvořák
38
noun
How much a bowling ball spins.
39
nounAustraliaCanada
A V-shaped stripe that shows a soldier's rank.
40
nounobsoleteUK
Someone who steals from pockets.
41
noun
The unbroken stretch of a wave, beside the spot where it is breaking.
42
noun
A bent piece of wood joining an old ship's keel to its front or back post.
43
verbarchaic
To take something that is not yours.
44
verb
To get someone to marry you.
45
verb
In rugby, to win the ball for your team in a scrum with your heel.
46
verb
To trip or hold back another player with your hockey stick.
47
verb
To make a ball curve when you kick or throw it.
48
verb
In Scrabble, to add a letter to a word on the board as part of a crossing word.
49
verbslang
To try to win a trick in cards with a lower card, guessing who holds the higher one.
50
verb
Of a cow or bull, to hurt someone with its horns.
51
verb
To have a bent shape.
52
verb
To turn suddenly while going somewhere.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of hook apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English hōc, meaning "hook." It goes back to old Germanic words and probably much earlier to a root meaning "peg, hook, or claw."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Hook derives from Old English hōc, meaning "hook." en.wiktionary.org
The word has earlier Germanic origins. en.wiktionary.org
The word probably ultimately derives from an earlier root meaning "peg, hook, or claw." en.wiktionary.org