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to hook

to hook

267 1.0
To fasten or attach something using a curved tool, for example to catch fish
  • verb
  • /hʊk/
: enganchar
  • Make sure to hook the cable securely onto the connector before turning on the device.
  • hook a fish
  • hook up a computer
  • hook up a system

Now I didn't actually hook this fish, my dad did.

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Examples

  • The four of them suited up, hooked on lines, and left the ship via the cargo airlock.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • And now we begin trying to hook a fish in the face.

  • You gotta pull this around and hook it up to the block, okay?

  • Toss it up there, we will hook it onto something.

  • I found one that I thought I could hook to my counter.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Leave about this much, one or two feet out, so you have enough to hook to your mixture tank.

    Academic text (2006)
  • In two years, it will be getting digital LCD projectors, which will be hooked up to workstations.

    Academic text (2007)
  • He managed to hook a large trout after only a few minutes of fishing.

  • The firefighter needed to hook the rescue line to the harness before pulling the victim to safety.

Synonyms

to stick
vsto hook
∞ 1.0

To attach something to a surface or push it into with a point

uses a curved tool to fasten or catch rather than by adhesion or piercing
to hang up
vsto hook
103 2.3

Put something on a wall or hook so it stays off the ground

is a broader fastening action not limited to holding something from above
to hitch
vsto hook
2 3.5

To catch something so it becomes stuck briefly

covers fastening or catching that can be permanent or intentional
to gaff
vsto hook
  • Specialized
1 8.1

To catch a fish using a long-handled metal hook

is the general act of fastening or catching using any curved tool
to net fish
vsto hook
1 2.8

To catch fish with a net

does the catching with a curved tool rather than using woven traps
to gillnetting
vsto hook
  • Specialized
8.2

To catch fish using nets that trap them by their gills

catches using a curved tool, not by trapping fish in woven traps

Antonyms

35 2.5

To take something off where it hangs, like a coat or necklace

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

2 8.1

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

9.9

Leave a place quickly because you are not welcome

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

130 3.7

To connect devices so they work together

52 4.1

To free someone from blame or punishment

7.4

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

Compounds

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

8 4.8

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

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

1 3.2

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

1 3.2

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

1 3.6

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

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

1 3.9

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

1 3.5

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

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

1 7.7

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

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

9.9

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

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

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

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

9.8

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

How Secure

to anchor
82 3.4
to fasten
73 1.6
to hook
267 1.0
to clip
38 1.0
to rest on
102 1.0

Surface Forms

hook infinitive
hooked past
hooked past participle
hooking present participle
hooks third person singular

Etymology

Hook as a verb comes from the same old word hoc meaning 'to catch by a curve', so to hook something is to fasten or catch it with a curved motion or tool.