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definitions

hooky

1

or hook·ey

[ hoo k-ee ]
/ ˈhʊk i /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hooky ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

unjustifiable absence from school, work, etc. (usually used in the phrase play hooky): On the first warm spring day the boys played hooky to go fishing.

RELATED WORDS

vacancy, absenteeism, truancy, nonattendance, AWOL, nonappearance, truantry

Nearby words

  1. hookswinging,
  2. hooktender,
  3. hookup,
  4. hookworm,
  5. hookworm disease,
  6. hooley,
  7. hoolie,
  8. hooligan,
  9. hooliganism,
  10. hooly

Origin of hooky

1
1840–50, Americanism; perhaps alteration of phrase hook it escape, make off

Definition for hooky (2 of 2)

hooky

2
[ hoo k-ee ]
/ ˈhʊk i /

adjective, hook·i·er, hook·i·est.

full of hooks.
hook-shaped.

Origin of hooky

2
First recorded in 1545–55; hook1 + -y1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hooky

British Dictionary definitions for hooky

hooky

hookey

/ (ˈhʊkɪ) /

noun

informal, mainly US, Canadian and NZ truancy, usually from school (esp in the phrase play hooky)

Word Origin for hooky

C20: perhaps from hook it to escape
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

Word Origin and History for hooky

hooky

n.

also hookey, in the truant sense, 1848, American English (New York City), from Dutch hoekje "hide and seek;" or else from hook it, attested since 14c. as "make off, run away," originally "depart, proceed."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with hooky

hooky

see play hooky.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.