Jump To:

• hooker
  hooker

  noun

  a person or thing that hooks.
• Hooker
  Hooker

  noun

  Joseph, 1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.

hooker

¹ American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that hooks.

2. Slang. prostitute.

3. Slang. a large drink of liquor.

4. Slang. a concealed problem, flaw, or drawback; a catch.

5. Rugby. a player who hooks the ball in the front line of scrummage.

6. (initial capital letter) a contemptuous term used to refer to an Amish Mennonite.

---

hooker ² American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

Nautical.

1. Slang. any old-fashioned or clumsy vessel.

2. any fishing vessel working with hooks and lines rather than nets.

---

Hooker ³ American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

1. Joseph, 1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.

2. Richard, 1554?–1600, English author and clergyman.

3. Thomas, 1586?–1647, English Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of the colony of Connecticut.

---

hooker ¹ British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that hooks

2. slang

   1. a draught of alcoholic drink, esp of spirits

   2. a prostitute

3. rugby the central forward in the front row of a scrum whose main job is to hook the ball

---

Hooker ² British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. John Lee. 1917–2001, US blues singer and guitarist

2. Sir Joseph Dalton. 1817–1911, British botanist; director of Kew Gardens (1865–85)

3. Richard. 1554–1600, British theologian, who influenced Anglican theology with The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593–97)

4. Sir William Jackson. 1785–1865, British botanist; first director of Kew Gardens: father of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker

---

hooker ³ British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. a commercial fishing boat using hooks and lines instead of nets

2. a sailing boat of the west of Ireland formerly used for cargo and now for pleasure sailing and racing

---

Sensitive Note

The Mennonites were irreverently spoken of as Hookers , because they used hooks and eyes on their clothes instead of buttons.

Etymology

Origin of hooker¹

First recorded in 1560–70; in 1835–45 hooker ¹ for def. 2, an Americanism; hook ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of hooker²

First recorded in 1635–45; from Dutch hoeker, equivalent to hoek hook ¹ + -er -er ¹

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hooker Hooker

"We went to a little market and people were recognising us," Leigh Leopards' Papuan hooker Liam Horne told BBC Sport.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Caluori had a try wiped off from a knock-on by replacement hooker Jamie Blamire, but England couldn't get a real toehold as they toiled at the set-piece.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Packer grabbed two tries in each half, while hooker Amy Cokayne crossed twice and Helena Rowland also dotted down.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

Prop Botterman will have a second operation on an ankle injury sustained playing for Bristol in December, while Saracens hooker Campbell will have a knee operation next week.

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

The wind was light, and my messmates remained on board, while the hooker towed their boat some way down the Sound.

From Paddy Finn by Archibald Webb

The looks that walked down the runway also called upon the dream, soundtracked by a score that included blues icon John Lee Hooker and beloved French band Air.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

Handy, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Ike Turner and Sam Cooke all hailed from or lived for a while in this blues mecca.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

In a statement shared with US media partner CBS News on Wednesday, Brian Hooker said he was "heartbroken" about his wife's disappearance and thanked authorities and volunteers for the ongoing search.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026

The missing woman was named by local authorities as Lynette Hooker from Michigan, according to CBS News.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

Hooker knew everything he could possibly know about his enemy.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• prostitute

---