hookup
Americannoun
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an act or instance of hooking up.
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an assembly and connection of parts, components, or apparatus into a circuit, network, machine, or system.
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the circuit, network, machine, or system so formed.
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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.
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Informal. an association, alliance, or cooperative effort.
A closer hookup of Caribbean nations would be good for international trade.
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Informal.
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a sexual encounter without a long-term commitment.
I’m over these college boys who are only interested in meaningless hookups.
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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.
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Slang.
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a supplier of illicit goods, usually drugs.
My hookup is getting out of the game—can you introduce me to your guy?
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access to illegal drugs.
When you are trying to score on the street it is easy to see who has the hookup.
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Etymology
Origin of hookup
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase hook up
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If “Heated Rivalry” is a fairy tale for fulfilling relationships in an era of hookup culture, as some sex therapists have claimed, then Hollander is the princess that queer women can relate to.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026
It takes five to 10 years to get a grid hookup.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025
Meanwhile, sound designer Johnnie Burn, also recently of “Nope” and “Poor Things,” is on video hookup all day from Brighton, sharing ideas, trying out remixes on the fly.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024
He wrote that the group has done other research, in addition to the analysis of dating and hookup apps.
From Washington Post • Mar. 9, 2023
He told them they probably wouldn’t be able to get a telephone hookup for at least a year, since he just got his after requesting it forever.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
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.
