Meaning of hook in English | Powered by Free Dictionary API

hook

/huːk/

Phonetics

/huːk/

noun

A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with one end free and the other end secured to a rope or other attachment.
A barbed metal hook used for fishing; a fishhook.
Any of various hook-shaped agricultural implements such as a billhook.
The curved needle used in the art of crochet.
The part of a hinge which is fixed to a post, and on which a door or gate hangs and turns.
A loop shaped like a hook under certain written letters, for example, g and j.
A tie-in to a current event or trend that makes a news story or editorial relevant and timely.
A snare; a trap.
(in the plural) The projecting points of the thighbones of cattle; called also hook bones.
Removal or expulsion from a group or activity
Example: He is not handling this job, so we're giving him the hook.
A field sown two years in succession.
(authorship) A brief, punchy opening statement intended to get attention from an audience, reader, or viewer, and make them want to continue to listen to a speech, read a book, or watch a play.
(authorship) A gimmick or element of a creative work intended to be attention-grabbing for the audience; a compelling idea for a story that will be sure to attract people's attention.
A finesse.
A jack (the playing card).
A spit or narrow cape of sand or gravel turned landward at the outer end, such as Sandy Hook in New Jersey.
A catchy musical phrase which forms the basis of a popular song.
Example: The song's hook snared me.
A ship's anchor.
Part of a system's operation that can be intercepted to change or augment its behaviour.
Example: We've added hooks to allow undefined message types to be handled with custom code.
(Scrabble) An instance of playing a word perpendicular to a word already on the board, adding a letter to the start or the end of the word to form a new word.
A diacritical mark shaped like the upper part of a question mark, as in ỏ.
A háček.
Senses relating to sports.

verb

To attach a hook to.
Example: Hook the bag here, and the conveyor will carry it away.
To catch with a hook (hook a fish).
Example: He hooked a snake accidentally, and was so scared he dropped his rod into the water.
To work yarn into a fabric using a hook; to crochet.
To insert in a curved way reminiscent of a hook.
Example: He hooked his fingers through his belt loops.
To ensnare or obligate someone, as if with a hook.
Example: A free trial is a good way to hook customers.
To steal.
To connect (hook into, hook together).
Example: If you hook your network cable into the jack, you'll be on the network.
(usually in passive) To make addicted; to captivate.
Example: He had gotten hooked on cigarettes in his youth.
To play a hook shot.
To succeed in heeling the ball back out of a scrum (used particularly of the team's designated hooker).
To engage in the illegal maneuver of hooking (i.e., using the hockey stick to trip or block another player)
Example: The opposing team's forward hooked me, but the referee didn't see it, so no penalty.
To swerve a ball; kick a ball so it swerves or bends.
To engage in prostitution.
Example: I had a cheap flat in the bad part of town, and I could watch the working girls hooking from my bedroom window.
(Scrabble) To play a word perpendicular to another word by adding a single letter to the existing word.
To finesse.
To seize or pierce with the points of the horns, as cattle in attacking enemies; to gore.
To move or go with a sudden turn.