🪝 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

hook

204 1.0

A curved piece used to catch or hang things

noun
/hʊk/

: gancho

The alphabet letter and the picture are attached with hook and loop fasteners to the top of the page.
a fishing hook
a baited hook
caught on a hook

You'll never lose a fish on one of these hooks, OK?

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Examples

Now, there are hooks on the corners of the bed in the jungle room and ropes under the kitchen sink.

Working Girls (1987)
This is actually a fish hook removal tool.
I had to take the phone off the hook.

The Dark Web Tapes (2020)
Just take it off the hook.

Halloween (1978)
Her phone had been left off the hook accidentally on the day I tried to call.

Fiction book (1991)
You'll never lose a fish on one of these hooks, OK?

Jiggin' With Jordan
The good morning icon and teacher picture are attached to the page with hook and loop fasteners.

Academic text (2013)
The wedding garments are divided between the hooks above the two back windows.

Fiction book (1990)
It has a sponge layer and hook and loop fastener layer on top.
She hung her coat on a hook by the door to keep it off the floor.

Synonyms

claw

vshook

19 5.6

A curved tool that grips and pulls things

is a standalone curved fastener rather than a machine part component

clasp

vshook

15 2.6

A small hook or buckle that fastens things together

is mainly a single curved fastener for hanging or pulling items

grapple

vshook

9 7.4

A tool with hooks used to grab and lift things

is a simple curved fastener rather than a heavy tool for lifting

catch

vshook

9 5.6

A device that holds or locks something closed

is a curved bent fastener rather than a general locking mechanism

grappling hook

vshook

9 5.7

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

is a general curved fastener, not mainly used with ropes for retrieval

fishhook

vshook

3 2.2

A small curved metal tool with a sharp point used to catch fish

is a general curved fastener used for many catching and hanging tasks

grapnel

vshook

Specialized

1 9.5

A small hook with several points on a rope used to hold or pull things

is the general curved fastener rather than a small multi-pronged anchor

eyehook

vshook

1 5.5

A small metal loop used to fasten clothing or hang small items

is the broader curved fastener rather than a small metal loop

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

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 Strong

anchor

86 2.7

hook

204 1.0

coat rack

6 1.0

Surface Forms

hook singular

hooks plural

Etymology

Hook comes from an old Germanic word hoc meaning 'a bend' or 'curved thing', so a hook is a curved tool made to catch, hold, hang, or pull things.