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 the 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

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

Situations involving children, creative endeavors, love and dating are among them (even past lovers or old hookups may come back around, perhaps giving you a chance to reconnect). —Kyle Thomas, People.com, 13 July 2025

Float down the Barren Fork River with beginner-friendly kayak rentals, then relax at the 8-acre pet-friendly campground featuring tent sites, RV hookups, and rental campers. —Korrin Bishop, Southern Living, 13 July 2025

Verb

But it’s been a great 10 years for Beaupre, who played for Edina, the University of Denver and Minnesota before hooking up with the Wild to fill a role whose importance doesn’t match its public profile. —John Shipley, Twin Cities, 15 July 2025

Smaller electric scooters have a battery that is hooked up to a throttle near the handlebars. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 14 July 2025

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