hook

hook (h

a. A curved or sharply bent device, usually of metal, used to catch, drag, suspend, or fasten something else.

b. A fishhook.

2. Something shaped like a hook, especially:

a. A curved or barbed plant or animal part.

b. A short angled or curved line on a letter.

c. A sickle.

a. A sharp bend or curve, as in a river.

b. A point or spit of land with a sharply curved end.

4. A means of catching or ensnaring; a trap.

5. Slang

a. A means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement: a sales hook.

b. Music A catchy motif or refrain: "sugary hard rock melodies [and] ear candy hooks" Boston Globe.

6. Sports

a. A short swinging blow in boxing delivered with a crooked arm.

b. The course of a ball that curves in a direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player.

c. A stroke that sends a ball on such a course.

d. A ball propelled on such a course.

e. In surfing, the lip of a breaking wave.

7. Baseball A curve ball.

8. Basketball A hook shot.

v. hooked, hook·ing, hooks

v.tr.

a. To catch, suspend, or connect with a hook.

b. Informal To snare.

c. Slang To steal; snatch. See Synonyms at steal.

2. To fasten by or as if by a hook.

3. To pierce or gore with or as if with a hook.

4. Slang

a. To take strong hold of; captivate: a novel that hooked me on the very first page.

b. To cause to become addicted.

5. To make (a rug) by looping yarn through canvas with a type of hook.

6. Sports

a. To hit with a hook in boxing.

b. To hit (a golf ball) in a hook.

7. Baseball To pitch (a ball) with a curve.

8. Basketball To shoot (a ball) in a hook shot.

9. Sports To impede the progress of (an opponent in ice hockey) by holding or restraining the player with one's stick, in violation of the rules.

v.intr.

1. To bend like a hook.

2. To fasten by means of a hook or a hook and eye.

3. Slang To work as a prostitute.

Phrasal Verb:

hook up

1. To assemble or wire (a mechanism).

2. To connect a mechanism and a source of power.

3. Slang

a. To meet or associate: We agreed to hook up after class. He hooked up with the wrong crowd.

b. To become romantically or sexually involved with someone.

c. To marry or get married.

Idioms:

by hook or by crook

By whatever means possible, fair or unfair.

get the hook Slang

To be unceremoniously dismissed or terminated.

hook, line, and sinker Informal

Without reservation; completely: swallowed the excuse hook, line, and sinker.

off the hook Informal

Freed, as from blame or a vexatious obligation: let me off the hook with a mild reprimand.

on (one's) own hook

By one's own efforts.

[Middle English hok, from Old English hc; see keg- in Indo-European roots.]

hook

Noun

1. a curved piece of metal or plastic used to hang, hold, or pull something

2. something resembling a hook, such as a sharp bend in a river or a sharply curved strip of land

3. Boxing a short swinging blow with the elbow bent

4. Cricket, golf a shot that causes the ball to go to the player's left

5. by hook or by crook by any means: get into the charts by hook or by crook

6. hook, line, and sinker Informal completely: we fell for it hook, line, and sinker

7. let someone off the hook Slang to free someone from an obligation or a difficult situation

8. sling one's hook Brit & Austral slang to leave

Verb

1. to fasten with or as if with a hook

2. to catch (a fish) on a hook

3. Cricket, golf to play (a ball) with a hook

4. Rugby to obtain and pass (the ball) backwards from a scrum, using the feet [Old English hōc]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	hook - a catch for locking a door catch - a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window
	2.	hook - a sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook crotchet curve, curved shape - the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes uncus - (biology) any hook-shaped process or part
	3.	hook - anything that serves as an enticement bait, come-on, lure, sweetener enticement, temptation - something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
	4.	hook - a mechanical device that is curved or bent to suspend or hold or pull something claw anchor, ground tackle - a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving clothes hanger, coat hanger, dress hanger - a hanger that is shaped like a person's shoulders and used to hang garments on grapnel, grapple, grappling hook, grappling iron, grappler - a tool consisting of several hooks for grasping and holding; often thrown with a rope mechanical device - mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles pothook - an S-shaped hook to suspend a pot over a fire tenterhook - one of a series of hooks used to hold cloth on a tenter
	5.	hook - a curved or bent implement for suspending or pulling something barb - a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove boat hook - pole-handled hook used to pull or push boats buttonhook - a hook for pulling a button through a buttonhole crotchet - a small tool or hooklike implement cup hook - hook (usually on the underside of a shelf) for hanging cups fishhook - a sharp barbed hook for catching fish gaff - an iron hook with a handle; used for landing large fish gig - a cluster of hooks (without barbs) that is drawn through a school of fish to hook their bodies; used when fish are not biting implement - instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end meat hook - a strong pointed hook from which the carcasses of animals are hung skyhook - a hook that is imagined to be suspended from the sky
	6.	hook - a golf shot that curves to the left for a right-handed golfer; "he took lessons to cure his hooking" hooking, draw golf shot, golf stroke, swing - the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it
	7.	hook - a short swinging punch delivered from the side with the elbow bent biff, punch, lick, clout, poke, slug - (boxing) a blow with the fist; "I gave him a clout on his nose" roundhouse - a hook delivered with an exaggerated swing
	8.	hook - a basketball shot made over the head with the hand that is farther from the basket hook shot basketball shot - throwing the basketball toward the hoop; "his shot hit the rim and bounced out"
Verb	1.	hook - fasten with a hook fasten, fix, secure - cause to be firmly attached; "fasten the lock onto the door"; "she fixed her gaze on the man" hook up - connect or link; "hook up the houses to the gas supply line"; "Hook up the components of the new sound system" unhook - take off a hook
	2.	hook - rip off; ask an unreasonable price fleece, gazump, overcharge, plume, rob, soak, surcharge, pluck extort, gouge, wring, rack, squeeze - obtain by coercion or intimidation; "They extorted money from the executive by threatening to reveal his past to the company boss"; "They squeezed money from the owner of the business by threatening him" cheat, rip off, chisel - deprive somebody of something by deceit; "The con-man beat me out of $50"; "This salesman ripped us off!"; "we were cheated by their clever-sounding scheme"; "They chiseled me out of my money"
	3.	hook - make a piece of needlework by interlocking and looping thread with a hooked needle; "She sat there crocheting all day" crochet handicraft - a craft that requires skillful hands crochet - create by looping or crocheting; "crochet a bedspread" loop, intertwine - make a loop in; "loop a rope"
	4.	hook - hit a ball and put a spin on it so that it travels to the left golf, golf game - a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes; the object is use as few strokes as possible in playing all the holes hit - cause to move by striking; "hit a ball"
	5.	hook - take by theft; "Someone snitched my wallet!" cop, glom, snitch, thieve, knock off steal - take without the owner's consent; "Someone stole my wallet on the train"; "This author stole entire paragraphs from my dissertation"
	6.	hook - make off with belongings of others cabbage, filch, pilfer, purloin, snarf, abstract, nobble, swipe, sneak, pinch, lift steal - take without the owner's consent; "Someone stole my wallet on the train"; "This author stole entire paragraphs from my dissertation"
	7.	hook - hit with a hook; "His opponent hooked him badly" boxing, pugilism, fisticuffs - fighting with the fists hit - deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument; "He hit her hard in the face"
	8.	hook - catch with a hook; "hook a fish" seize - hook by a pull on the line; "strike a fish" grab, take hold of, catch - take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of; "Catch the ball!"; "Grab the elevator door!"
	9.	hook - to cause (someone or oneself) to become dependent (on something, especially a narcotic drug) addict accustom, habituate - make psychologically or physically used (to something); "She became habituated to the background music"
	10.	hook - secure with the foot; "hook the ball" rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball play - shoot or hit in a particular manner; "She played a good backhand last night"
	11.	hook - entice and trap; "The car salesman had snared three potential customers" snare accost, solicit, hook - approach with an offer of sexual favors; "he was solicited by a prostitute"; "The young man was caught soliciting in the park" entice, lure, tempt - provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion; "He lured me into temptation"
	12.	hook - approach with an offer of sexual favors; "he was solicited by a prostitute"; "The young man was caught soliciting in the park" accost, solicit snare, hook - entice and trap; "The car salesman had snared three potential customers" offer - make available or accessible, provide or furnish; "The conference center offers a health spa"; "The hotel offers private meeting rooms"

hook

noun 1. fastener, catch, link, lock, holder, peg, clasp, hasp

verb 2. fasten, fix, secure, catch, clasp, hasp

verb 3. catch, land, trap, entrap by hook or by crook by any means, somehow, somehow or other, someway, by fair means or foul hook, line, and sinker (Informal) completely, totally, entirely, thoroughly, wholly, utterly, through and through, lock, stock and barrel off the hook (Informal) let off, cleared, acquitted, vindicated, in the clear, exonerated, under no obligation, allowed to walk (slang), chiefly U.S.

Translations