🪝 To attach 🪝 A curved device 🎣 To attract 🎣 An attraction 🥊 A side punch 💊 To addict 💃 To sell sex 🥊 To punch sideways 💻 A callback ➰ A curved shape 🏀 A curved shot 🦹 To steal ⛳ To curve ⛳ A curved shot 💸 To overcharge 🧶 To crochet

to hook

1 8.1

To charge someone too much money for something

verb
/hʊk/

Informal

: timar

They give you one free lesson, then they hook you for $50,000 worth.

Examples

Watch out; that mechanic is known to hook customers whenever they come in for repairs.
The company isn't shy about trying to hook you for life until all you do is water your virtual flowers.

Blog text (18)
They tried to hook him for a huge amount of money for those concert tickets.
Be careful of that seller; he tends to hook unsuspecting buyers with inflated prices.

Synonyms

to overcharge

vsto hook

24 3.4

To ask someone for more money than a fair price

is used informally rather than the neutral formal term

to fleece

vsto hook

Informal

19 8.5

Charge someone too much money

asks a high price but may not involve clear cheating

to soak

vsto hook

Informal

17 8.7

Charge someone much more than a fair price

asks a high price without always using unfair pressure

to rob

vsto hook

Informal

10 6.4

To charge someone a much higher price than usual

asks for a high price without necessarily swindling

to pluck

vsto hook

Archaic

3 9.9

To charge someone too much money

asks a high price but not always to swindle or cheat

to overbill

vsto hook

3 6.1

Charge someone more money than they should pay for goods or services

asks a high price directly, not only during formal payment steps

to gouge on

vsto hook

2 9.1

Charge someone an unfairly high price

asks a high price but with less implied dishonesty

to gouge the customer

vsto hook

1 8.2

Charge customers much more than is fair

asks a high price without the strong unfair implication

to surcharge

vsto hook

1 6.0

Add an extra fee to a price, often for a special service

asks a general high price, not only as an added extra fee

Idioms

off the hook

Informal

117 5.9

No longer in trouble or responsible for something

off the hook

Slang

28 8.2

Very exciting and impressive

on the hook

Informal

25 7.7

Responsible for paying or doing something, often unwillingly

by hook or by crook

Informal

2 8.1

Using any way to get something done no matter what it takes

to take your hook

Archaic

9.9

Leave a place quickly because you are not welcome

to sling one's hook

Archaic

9.9

To leave quickly because people do not want you there

Phrasal Verbs

to hook up

NSFW

283 8.7

To meet someone for a brief romantic or sexual encounter

to hook up

130 3.7

To connect devices so they work together

to let off the hook

Informal

52 4.1

To free someone from blame or punishment

to hook it to the mainframe

Specialized

7.4

To connect a device to a main computer so it can send and receive data

Compounds

grappling hook

9 5.7

A set of hooks on a rope used to catch and hold things like a wall or ship

meat hook

8 4.8

A strong pointed hook for hanging dead animals in a butcher shop

hook-nosed

3 8.0

A person with a long curved nose like a bird's beak

hook shot

Specialized

1 3.6

A basketball shot made by sweeping the arm and releasing the ball high with the hand farthest from the basket

catchy hook

1 3.2

A short easy to remember musical phrase that repeats in a song

crochet hook

1 3.2

A needle with a small hook at one end used to pull yarn through loops to make fabric

hook and eye

1 3.6

A small metal piece with a hook that fits into a loop to hold clothes closed

pruning hook

1 7.2

A tool with a long handle and a curved blade used to cut small tree branches and shrubs

cant hook

Specialized

1 9.8

A long handle with a metal hook used to move and turn logs

boat hook

1 3.9

A long pole with a hook used to push, pull, or catch things near boats

cup hook

1 3.5

A small metal hook that you screw under a shelf to hang cups by the handles

catchy hook

1 3.5

An opening line or idea that quickly gets people's attention

reaping hook

Archaic

1 8.3

A small hand tool with a curved blade and short handle for cutting wheat and grass

fire hook

1 7.7

A metal rod with a handle used to move burning logs or stir hot embers

bench hook

1 8.8

A wooden block attached to a bench that holds wood steady while you cut or shape it

bolus hook

Specialized

9.9

A small part in a Jacquard loom that lifts warp threads to make patterns

dog hook

9.9

A strong metal bar with a sharp point that you use to move logs

ear hook earring

6.3

An earring that fits over the edge of the ear without needing a piercing

arrester hook

Specialized

9.9

A device on a plane that catches a wire on a carrier deck to stop the plane quickly during landing

Hook of Holland

6.1

A cape and town on the southwest coast of the Netherlands that has a ferry port

hook spanner

7.6

A tool with a hooked end that turns round nuts with notches

hook wrench

Specialized

6.4

A tool with a hooked end for turning round nuts or bolt heads without flat sides

reap hook

9.8

A hand tool with a curved blade and short handle for cutting grass or crops

How Exploitative

to gouge

NSFW

31 8.3

to rip off

Informal

180 6.5

to hook

Informal

1 8.1

to charge

578 2.0

Surface Forms

hook infinitive

hooked past

hooked past participle

hooking present participle

hooks third person singular

Etymology

A helpful way to remember hook meaning to overcharge is to imagine a seller 'hooking' you with a high price, so the word suggests catching someone by surprise with an unfair cost.