🎣 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

to hook

290 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?

WWJD II: The Woodcarver (2012)
Toss it up there, we will hook it onto something.

Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)
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

769 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

69 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 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 hitch

vsto hook

1 3.5

To catch something so it becomes stuck briefly

covers fastening or catching that can be permanent or intentional

to net fish

vsto hook

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

to unhook

35 2.5

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

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

Phrasal Verbs

to hook up

213 3.7

To connect devices so they work together

to hook up

NSFW

132 8.7

To meet someone for a brief romantic or sexual encounter

to let off the hook

Informal

64 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

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 Secure

to anchor

51 3.4

to fasten

68 1.6

to hook

290 1.0

to clip

19 1.0

to rest on

66 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.