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
4
: an act or an instance of hooking up
especially
: a casual sexual encounter
hooked up; hooking up; hooks up
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
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
SkiingJudy 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
Marialisa Calta2
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
Libby Gelman-Waxner
: 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
Henry Fountain
Synonyms
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 WebAaron Gettinger, arkansasonline.com, 28 Nov. 2023
The solo bathroom includes a television hookup for the shower, so games can be watched while showering.
—Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 29 Oct. 2023
Still, Costco offers other perks such as free delivery and haul away and free basic hookup, says Stanger.
—Laura Daily, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023
While dating apps appear to offer a seemingly endless supply of potential dates, questions remain about their ability to spark long-term meaningful relationships over hookups and casual encounters.
—Anna-Katherine Ping, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2023
With millions of daily users and a global presence, Grindr provides an easy way to meet new romantic interests—usually quick, casual encounters and hookups.
—Tianna Soto, Glamour, 28 Aug. 2023
These typically have a lot of the same services (like flush toilets, electric hookups, and showers) as national park campgrounds, and are less competitive to book.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 19 Oct. 2023
The site is called Soul Mates, and Allison and Jason, trapped in a brackish green industrial maze, are about to go through a hookup from hell.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023
The campground has motor-home hookups and glamping tents, as well as a restaurant, and offers activities that include foraging tours.
—Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2023
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2023
This should mean a peak charge rate of up to 350 kW when hooked up to a sufficiently powerful charger.
—Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
On Tuesday, Courteney Cox revisited a fan favorite: The moment where the audience found out that Chandler and Monica had hooked up in London (Season 4 finale).
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2023
Over 120 banks and credit unions are hooked up to the FedNow service, according to the Federal Reserve.
—Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2023
The stench of ammonia hooks up with sulfur to form droplets that coalesce into dense clouds, reflecting the sun.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
In February 2019, news broke that Tristan had hooked up with Jordyn.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
For instance, sometimes communities living on the fringe of the forest hook up their horses to central sources of electricity, and elephants get accidentally tangled in them on their passage.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023
In a cruel irony, its legal status means the houses here are not hooked up to the grid.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023
See More
Noun
The arena sits in a county park, 40 acres donated by the timber industry, with a softball field and 80 recreational vehicle hookup sites.
—Aaron Gettinger, arkansasonline.com, 28 Nov. 2023
The solo bathroom includes a television hookup for the shower, so games can be watched while showering.
—Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 29 Oct. 2023
Still, Costco offers other perks such as free delivery and haul away and free basic hookup, says Stanger.
—Laura Daily, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023
While dating apps appear to offer a seemingly endless supply of potential dates, questions remain about their ability to spark long-term meaningful relationships over hookups and casual encounters.
—Anna-Katherine Ping, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2023
With millions of daily users and a global presence, Grindr provides an easy way to meet new romantic interests—usually quick, casual encounters and hookups.
—Tianna Soto, Glamour, 28 Aug. 2023
These typically have a lot of the same services (like flush toilets, electric hookups, and showers) as national park campgrounds, and are less competitive to book.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 19 Oct. 2023
The site is called Soul Mates, and Allison and Jason, trapped in a brackish green industrial maze, are about to go through a hookup from hell.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023
The campground has motor-home hookups and glamping tents, as well as a restaurant, and offers activities that include foraging tours.
—Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2023
Verb
So when he was spotted hooking up in a hot tub in 2020, it was seen as a flagrant breach of sociopolitical trust.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2023
This should mean a peak charge rate of up to 350 kW when hooked up to a sufficiently powerful charger.
—Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
On Tuesday, Courteney Cox revisited a fan favorite: The moment where the audience found out that Chandler and Monica had hooked up in London (Season 4 finale).
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2023
Over 120 banks and credit unions are hooked up to the FedNow service, according to the Federal Reserve.
—Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2023
The stench of ammonia hooks up with sulfur to form droplets that coalesce into dense clouds, reflecting the sun.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
In February 2019, news broke that Tristan had hooked up with Jordyn.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
For instance, sometimes communities living on the fringe of the forest hook up their horses to central sources of electricity, and elephants get accidentally tangled in them on their passage.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023
In a cruel irony, its legal status means the houses here are not hooked up to the grid.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hookup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1904, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near hookup
Cite this Entry
“Hookup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hookup. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
hookup
noun
hook·up
ˈhu̇k-ˌəp 
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
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