Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
hook wrench

hook wrench

6.4
A tool with a hooked end for turning round nuts or bolt heads without flat sides
  • noun
  • /hʊk wɛnʧ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : llave de gancho
  • The mechanic used a hook wrench to loosen the stubborn nut.

Examples

  • He used a hook wrench to tighten the bolt.

  • This toolbox contains a variety of tools, including a hook wrench for special fasteners.

  • A hook wrench is useful for turning round nuts with no flat sides.

  • The hook wrench is essential for this repair.

  • The mechanic used a hook wrench to loosen the stubborn nut.

  • A hook wrench is useful for turning round nuts with no flat sides.

  • This toolbox contains a variety of tools, including a hook wrench for special fasteners.

Synonyms

wrench
vshook wrench
  • US
60 2.5

A hand tool with a shaped opening that grips and turns nuts and bolts

is a specific type with a curved end for fitting over and turning nuts
spanner
vshook wrench
  • UK
6 4.4

A tool used to turn nuts and bolts

applies force by fitting over the nut head rather than by gripping
hook spanner
vshook wrench
  • UK
7.6

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

fits over the nut head and turns it instead of engaging a slot

How Specialized

hook wrench
  • Specialized
6.4
wrench
  • US
60 2.5
tool
∞ 1.1

Surface Forms

hook wrench singular
hook wrenches plural

Morphology

hook + wrench

The noun combines 'hook' (a curved implement) with 'wrench' (a tool for turning), so the overall meaning — a wrench with a hook-shaped end — is directly inferable from the constituents. This is a regular, compositional English compound noun pattern (and mirrors similar compounds in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the parts would readily understand it.

Etymology

Hook wrench comes from the tool's shape: a wrench with a hook at the end that grabs the edge of a round nut. So, a hook wrench is used 'to turn' round nuts or bolts that have no flat sides.