the contact of an aircraft in flight with the refuelling hose of a tanker aircraft
an alliance or relationship, esp an unlikely one, between people, countries, etc
the linking of broadcasting equipment or stations to transmit a special programme
to connect (two or more people or things)
slang (often foll by with) to get married (to)
Assemble or wire a mechanism, as in Dick helped us hook up the stereo system . [1920s]
Connect a mechanism with a main source, as in The computer had not yet been hooked up to the mainframe . [1920s]
hook up with . Form a tie or association, as in She had hooked up with the wrong crowd . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“This business can be lumpy and swing depending on customer grid hook-up timing, but that does not fully explain this drop-off,” William Blair’s Jed Dorsheimer told clients in a recent note.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026
That's where the foundation of my Cream of Wheat hook-up came from, though I wasn't in poverty or jail at the time of its creation.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2023
She got me the whole VIP hook-up, like I could go in the rooms where nobody could go.
From New York Times ● May 1, 2023
While a third fan was so obsessed with the musical hook-up that she started seeing visions of the four US musicians in their food.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2021
It probably had something to do with the horror show hook-up with Faith and the intensity of Howie’s visit, but mostly it was thanks to Pastor Ted.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
After the podcast, Swift had "a lot of people whispering in my ear", encouraging her to hook up with Travis.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
By overseeing how data centers hook up to the grid, federal regulators could make it easier and faster for them to construct their own power supply, administration officials have argued.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
A plumber was scheduled this week to hook up the stove, washer and dryer, so they left with only the clothes on their backs, work computers and passports, just to be safe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
It normally takes the ground crew several minutes to either hook up the passenger boarding bridge or put boarding stairs in place.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2024
But if they do, must they always hook up with another place in our universe?
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
