hookup

1 of 2

noun

hook·​up ˈhu̇k-ˌəp 

1

: a state of cooperation or alliance

2

: an assemblage (as of circuits) used for a specific purpose (such as radio transmission)

also : the plan of such an assemblage

3

: an arrangement of mechanical parts

also : connection

a campsite with electric, water, and sewer hookups

4

: an act or an instance of hooking up

especially : a casual sexual encounter

hook up

2 of 2

verb

hooked up; hooking up; hooks up

intransitive verb

1

: to become associated especially in a working or social relationship

The quartet hooked up in 1990 with Reggie Andrews, a high school music teacher who taught the naive group the nuts and bolts of album making and the record industry.

—Lorraine Ali

… achieve your next fantasy camp experience in skiing. Do so by hooking up with Olympic medalist Christin Cooper and her husband Mark Tache, a former U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Pro Tour racer.

—Skiing

Judy Ratner was my first best friend. We hooked up in second grade, soon after my family had moved down the block from her house, in a New Jersey suburb.

—Marialisa Calta

2

informal : to have a casual sexual encounter

… on Covert Affairs, Christopher Gorham plays a blind CIA tech operative who hooks up with lovely girls …

—Libby Gelman-Waxner

transitive verb

: connect

hooked up a trailer

hook up a hose to the faucet

Intrigued, the researchers hooked up an infrared video camera and let it roll overnight.

—Henry Fountain

Synonyms of hookup

Noun

• partnership
• relationship
• association
• collaboration
• connection
• affiliation
• cooperation

Verb

• travel
• associate
• run
• connect
• bond
• join
• mix
• hang (around or out)
• collaborate
• relate
• company
• pal (around)

Examples of hookup in a Sentence

Noun

The interview will be broadcast through a satellite hookup.

The cabin has electric and water hookups.

Verb

former classmates who hooked up and started a business together

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In a 2010 study, for example, the disparity held in both casual and familiar encounters, with ten per cent of women reaching orgasm versus thirty-one per cent of men in a first-time hookup, and sixty-eight per cent versus eighty-five per cent with a familiar partner. —Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

The system includes a 300-Ah lithium battery, Renogy 2,000-W inverter/charger, 50-A DC-DC charger, Renogy power management core and shore power hookup. —New Atlas, 26 Feb. 2026

Verb

Nike consistently hooks up the University of Oregon‘s athletic programs with exclusive sneakers because of their longstanding relationship, and the newest spoils to emerge come via Nike’s most futuristic new basketball sneaker. —Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 9 Mar. 2026

This period comedy set in England in the 1930s stars Ben Radcliffe as a thief who swindles his way into a hall boy position at posh Fackham Hall, only to hook up with the daughter of the house and finagle his way into a position of privilege. —K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1904, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for hookup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup
• pickup

Kids Definition

hookup

noun

hook·​up ˈhu̇k-ˌəp 

1

: connection sense 2, alliance

2

a

: an arrangement (as of circuits) used for a specific purpose (as in radio)

b

: the diagram of such an arrangement

3

: an arrangement of mechanical parts