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hooker

1
[ hook-er ]
/ ˈhʊk ər /
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noun
a person or thing that hooks.
Slang. prostitute.
Slang. a large drink of liquor.
Slang. a concealed problem, flaw, or drawback; a catch.
Rugby. a player who hooks the ball in the front line of scrummage.
(initial capital letter)Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an Amish Mennonite.
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Origin of hooker

1
First recorded in 1560–70; in 1835–45 for def. 2, an Americanism; hook1 + -er1

usage note for hooker

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

Other definitions for hooker (2 of 3)

hooker2
[ hook-er ]
/ ˈhʊk ər /

noun Nautical.
Slang. any old-fashioned or clumsy vessel.
any fishing vessel working with hooks and lines rather than nets.

Origin of hooker

2
First recorded in 1635–45; from Dutch hoeker, equivalent to hoek hook1 + -er -er1

Other definitions for hooker (3 of 3)

Hooker
[ hook-er ]
/ ˈhʊk ər /

noun
Joseph, 1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.
Richard, 1554?–1600, English author and clergyman.
Thomas, 1586?–1647, English Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of the colony of Connecticut.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hooker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hooker (1 of 3)

hooker1
/ (ˈhʊkə) /

noun
a commercial fishing boat using hooks and lines instead of nets
a sailing boat of the west of Ireland formerly used for cargo and now for pleasure sailing and racing

Word Origin for hooker

C17: from Dutch hoeker

British Dictionary definitions for hooker (2 of 3)

hooker2
/ (ˈhʊkə) /

noun
a person or thing that hooks
US and Canadian slang
  1. a draught of alcoholic drink, esp of spirits
  2. a prostitute
rugby the central forward in the front row of a scrum whose main job is to hook the ball

British Dictionary definitions for hooker (3 of 3)

Hooker
/ (ˈhʊkə) /

noun
John Lee. 1917–2001, US blues singer and guitarist
Sir Joseph Dalton. 1817–1911, British botanist; director of Kew Gardens (1865–85)
Richard. 1554–1600, British theologian, who influenced Anglican theology with The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593–97)
Sir William Jackson. 1785–1865, British botanist; first director of Kew Gardens: father of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
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
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