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.

---

hooky ² American  

[hook-ee] / ˈhʊk i /

adjective

hookier, hookiest

1. full of hooks.

2. hook-shaped.

---

hooky British  

/ ˈhʊkɪ /

noun

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

---

hooky Idioms  

1. see play hooky.

---

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

This, it’s a riff, and then it’s a hooky riff with a cool melody over it.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

“I just tried to think, what's really hooky and what would be fun to sing with a crowd. Those were my parameters.”

From BBC • Sep. 13, 2024

"When we were well out of their sight, we stopped and hugged each other like children playing hooky from a strict boarding school."

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau