hooky

¹ American  

[hook-ee] / ˈhʊk i /

Or hookey

noun

1. unjustifiable absence from school, work, etc. (usually used in the phraseplay hooky ).

   On the first warm spring day the boys played hooky to go fishing.

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hooky ² American  

[hook-ee] / ˈhʊk i /

adjective

hookier, hookiest

1. full of hooks.

2. hook-shaped.

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hooky British  

/ ˈhʊkɪ /

noun

1. informal truancy, usually from school (esp in the phrase play hooky )

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hooky Idioms  

1. see play hooky.

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Etymology

Origin of hooky¹

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

Origin of hooky²

First recorded in 1545–55; hook ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

And because it is common for a few employees to walk in together, with only one swiping a badge to open the door, HR departments were reluctant to accuse anyone of playing hooky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

Onlookers are invited to be mesmerized by the fuchsia flames of Gwi-Ma’s realm as the movie’s hooky synth pop bounces in the foreground.

From Salon • Dec. 18, 2025

Angular riffs, clever-clever lyrics and big, hooky choruses were the order of the day.

From BBC • May 8, 2025

Supposedly playing hooky from filming a movie, he visits the walrus diorama at the Natural History Museum.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2024

The street had to be roped off, the policemen had to keep the crowds back and children had to play hooky from school when there was a piano moving.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith