hookup

[hoo k-uhp]

SEE MORE 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.

Origin of hookup

1900–05, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase hook up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hookup

connection, interconnection, linkage, alliance, relationship, interrelationship, affiliation, consanguinity, similarity, kindred, relative, sibling, liaison, propinquity, link, kin, interdependence, correlation, affinity, association

Examples from the Web for hookup

Contemporary Examples of hookup

JSwipe definitely gives off less of a hookup vibe than others.
My Week on Jewish Tinder
Emily Shire
January 5, 2015
In a crucial Senate election, the NRA is running ads for a socially conservative Republican candidate on a hookup app for gay men.
A Tom Cotton Ad on Grindr?
Ben Jacobs
October 29, 2014
For their part, hookup apps say they are committed to promoting safe sex.
Breaking: Grindr-ing Leads to Gonorrhea
Brandy Zadrozny
June 12, 2014
Reports of women feeling victimized by the campus “hookup culture” are greatly exaggerated.
Sex, Booze, and Feminism
Cathy Young
February 22, 2014
Is an uptick in military sex assault just due to our hookup culture?
Air Force General Blames Increase in Military Rape on Hookup Culture
Eleanor Clift
May 8, 2013

Historical Examples of hookup

While you have this hookup, try reversing the position of the leads connected to your batteries.
Electricity for the 4-H Scientist
Eric B. Wilson
The hookup would be powered by the solar battery in the hydrolung power unit, by connecting wires through the breathing tube.
Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung
Victor Appleton
"Had a man here last week to give the furnace its summer hookup," said Mr. Bullfinch.
Jerry's Charge Account
Hazel Hutchins Wilson

Word Origin and History for hookup

also hook up, "connection," 1903; modern slang verbal sense of "to meet for sex" is attested by 2003.