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Synonyms

play hooky

Idioms  
  1. Be absent from school or some other obligation without permission, as in It was such a beautiful day that Herb played hooky from work. In this term, the noun hooky may have come from the phrase hook it, meaning “escape.” [Mid-1800s]


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.

See Examples For:

The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce is asking business owners to let their employees "play hooky" from work and step in as substitute teachers.

From Fox News Feb. 7, 2022

She joked that when she wants to play hooky, she can walk across the street from her office to enjoy a free concert.

From Seattle Times Nov. 12, 2021

For many contemporary writers of fiction, The Novel looms balefully, a rigid school from which we should all be desperate to play hooky.

From The New Yorker Oct. 3, 2016

“Fairly uncomfortable” is a massive understatement, given that your family is trying to convince you that your progressive, fatal illness is something you invented as an excuse to play hooky from work.

From Slate Dec. 21, 2015

It was my junior year of high school, and Mitra persuaded my parents to let me play hooky for the day.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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