hookup

[ hook-uhp ]

/ ˈhʊkˌʌp /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for hookup on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act or instance of hooking up.

an assembly and connection of parts, components, or apparatus into a circuit, network, machine, or system.

the circuit, network, machine, or system so formed.

a device or connection, as a plug, hose, or pipe, for conveying electricity, a water supply, etc., from a source to a user: Some campsites have electrical hookups for trailers.

Informal. an association, alliance, or cooperative effort: A closer hookup of Caribbean nations would be good for international trade.

Informal.

a sexual encounter without a long-term commitment: I’m over these college boys who are only interested in meaningless hookups.
a person with whom one has such an encounter: I ran into an old hookup at the club, but I pretended not to remember her.

Slang.

a supplier of illicit goods, usually drugs: My hookup is getting out of the game—can you introduce me to your guy?
access to illegal drugs: When you are trying to score on the street it is easy to see who has the hookup.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hookup

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase hook up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hookup in a sentence

“I think for trans men who are dating every time they hook up they have another coming out,” Sandler said.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If the oft-talked-about college “hook-up culture” could be embodied by a place, it would be Shooters.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating|Ellie Schaack|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They “hook up” in a manner that makes the casual sex of the 1960s seem like an arranged marriage in Oman.
Up to a Point: They Made Me Write About Lena Dunham|P. J. O’Rourke|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When you met him on Tinder were you initially thinking of this as a hook-up or a relationship?
Exclusive: Michael Phelps’s Intersex Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend, Taylor Lianne Chandler, Tells All|Aurora Snow|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was never meant to be a “hook-up app” so he knew that about me.
Exclusive: Michael Phelps’s Intersex Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend, Taylor Lianne Chandler, Tells All|Aurora Snow|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He addressed Gus, who was laying out the hook-up for a crystal set.
Radio Boys Loyalty|Wayne Whipple
Without further delay she permitted Fay to return her service of a while ago and hook up the pretty foulard.
Find the Woman|Arthur Somers Roche
But nobody knows why it is that the four slowest players in every club always manage to hook up in a sort of permanent alliance.
Fore!|Charles Emmett Van Loan
For five minutes, he alternately growled into the mouth-piece and moved the hook up and down.
Walking Shadows|Alfred Noyes
If you mean marryin' I'd sooner see you hook up team with that red-haired gal than anything in the world I ever set two eyes on.
The Man in the Twilight|Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for hookup

hook-up

noun

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

verb hook up (adverb)

to connect (two or more people or things)

(often foll by with) slang to get married (to)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with hookup

hook up

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]