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

hook

9 1.0

A sharp bend or curved shape that ends in a point

noun
/hʊk/

: gancho

One blade has at each angle of its end a hook turned downwards.
hook-shaped
hook-nosed

Examples

I think my hook got a little bent here.
And it's just this little hook, this tiny little thing does that.
Oh gosh, the hook bent right off.
- You can tell by the hook-shaped fin.

Orca (1977)
They made oblong rings, wonkety candlesticks, and hooks that would pierce any coat you might hang on them.

Fiction book (2001)
The fisherman used a sharp hook to catch a variety of fish in the lake.
She hung her coat on the metal hook by the door.
The hook in the climbing gear secured the climber safely to the rock face.

Synonyms

bend

vshook

77 1.2

A curved part of a road, river, pipe, or body

is a sharper curve resembling a curved end rather than a general curve

crook

vshook

11 4.4

A sharp bend in a road, river or path

focuses on a curved form that resembles a pronounced curved end

crotchet

vshook

Archaic

9.9

A sharp curved shape like a small hook

is the same sharp curve but is an alternate term

Idioms

off the hook

Informal

105 5.9

No longer in trouble or responsible for something

on the hook

Informal

26 7.7

Responsible for paying or doing something, often unwillingly

off the hook

Slang

14 8.2

Very exciting and impressive

by hook or by crook

Informal

1 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

Compounds

grappling hook

4 5.7

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

meat hook

3 4.8

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

hook shot

Specialized

3 3.6

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

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

bench hook

8.8

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

boat hook

3.9

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

bolus hook

Specialized

9.9

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

cant hook

Specialized

9.8

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

catchy hook

3.2

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

catchy hook

3.5

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

cup hook

3.5

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

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

fire hook

7.7

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

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

hook-nosed

8.0

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

pruning hook

7.2

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

reap hook

9.8

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

reaping hook

Archaic

8.3

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

How Curved

spiral

25 3.8

hook

9 1.0

loop

67 2.5

curve

209 2.3

to bend

268 1.0

Surface Forms

hook singular

hooks plural

Etymology

Hook meaning a sharp bend or curved shape comes from the old word hoc for a curve, so anything that makes a clear bend can be called a hook.