hooker

1
[ hook-er ]
See synonyms for hooker on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person or thing that hooks.

  2. Slang. prostitute.

  1. Slang. a large drink of liquor.

  2. Slang. a concealed problem, flaw, or drawback; a catch.

  3. Rugby. a player who hooks the ball in the front line of scrummage.

  4. (initial capital letter)Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an Amish Mennonite.

Origin of hooker

1
First recorded in 1560–70; in 1835–45 for def. 2, an Americanism; hook1 + -er1

usage note For hooker

The Mennonites were irreverently spoken of as Hookers , because they used hooks and eyes on their clothes instead of buttons.

Words Nearby hooker

Other definitions for hooker (2 of 3)

hooker2
[ hook-er ]

nounNautical.
  1. Slang. any old-fashioned or clumsy vessel.

  2. any fishing vessel working with hooks and lines rather than nets.

Origin of hooker

2
First recorded in 1635–45; from Dutch hoeker, equivalent to hoek hook1 + -er -er1

Other definitions for Hooker (3 of 3)

Hooker
[ hook-er ]

noun
  1. Joseph, 1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.

  2. Richard, 1554?–1600, English author and clergyman.

  1. Thomas, 1586?–1647, English Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of the colony of Connecticut.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hooker in a sentence

  • hooker says he wounded him with a knife, but if that happened it was more probably the act of some kerne.

  • Sumner and hooker were to use those opposite the town, and Franklin those at Bernard's.

    The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.
  • (p. 185) Lee followed, intending to give battle, but he found hooker in a position of such strength that he hesitated.

    The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.
  • There were frequent rains, which prevented any movement during the winter; but General hooker was not idle.

    The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.
  • It was generally believed in hooker's army that Lee, finding the position too impregnable, was retiring.

    The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.

British Dictionary definitions for hooker (1 of 3)

hooker1

/ (ˈhʊkə) /


noun
  1. a commercial fishing boat using hooks and lines instead of nets

  2. a sailing boat of the west of Ireland formerly used for cargo and now for pleasure sailing and racing

Origin of hooker

1
C17: from Dutch hoeker

British Dictionary definitions for hooker (2 of 3)

hooker2

/ (ˈhʊkə) /


noun
  1. a person or thing that hooks

  2. US and Canadian slang

    • a draught of alcoholic drink, esp of spirits

    • a prostitute

  1. rugby the central forward in the front row of a scrum whose main job is to hook the ball

British Dictionary definitions for Hooker (3 of 3)

Hooker

/ (ˈhʊkə) /


noun
  1. John Lee. 1917–2001, US blues singer and guitarist

  2. Sir Joseph Dalton. 1817–1911, British botanist; director of Kew Gardens (1865–85)

  1. Richard. 1554–1600, British theologian, who influenced Anglican theology with The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593–97)

  2. Sir William Jackson. 1785–1865, British botanist; first director of Kew Gardens: father of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker

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