as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered a hard right hook that struck his opponent in the eye
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to bend
to cause to turn away from a straight line
the pitcher hooked the ball, and the batter missed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to connect
to put or bring together so as to form a new and longer whole
hooked up three short chains together to make a longer necklace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to steal
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
the monkey hooked four bananas from the basket and scampered away to enjoy them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to grab
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
I hooked the biggest fish of the day, and then released it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to curve
to turn away from a straight line or course
hang the bird feeder on a branch that hooks upward
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hook
Heran Mamo, Billboard, 31 Oct. 2025
Desiree swapped her Amazon hooks for the Glenn Towel Bar from Ethnik Living after one of her bath sheets pulled a hook clean off the wall.
—Jasmine Desiree, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2025
Tamia Boyd, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
In one second-quarter stretch, Smart checked in, hit a jumper, flopped to draw an offensive foul on Curry, then hooked his arm around Curry’s shoulder and wrestled the Warriors star to the floor, earning him a flagrant 1 foul and prompting a celebration from Horford.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hook
Noun
Accompanied by a hilarious music video which shows all that drama coming home to roost, this is another ear worm in his ever-expanding catalog of catchy hooks and varied takes on love songs.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 31 Oct. 2025
Desiree swapped her Amazon hooks for the Glenn Towel Bar from Ethnik Living after one of her bath sheets pulled a hook clean off the wall.
—Jasmine Desiree, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
My first visit was during a monthly coffee set hosted by a local group called The 4C, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
—Tamia Boyd, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
In one second-quarter stretch, Smart checked in, hit a jumper, flopped to draw an offensive foul on Curry, then hooked his arm around Curry’s shoulder and wrestled the Warriors star to the floor, earning him a flagrant 1 foul and prompting a celebration from Horford.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hook
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hook
Noun
-
The first accounts of cheating and payoffs during exam week surfaced—a blow to the belief in fairness on which the whole system of guilds depended.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Google had hoped to void those changes with an appeal, but the ruling issued in July by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a legal blow for the tech giant, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials affecting different pillars of its internet empire.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
How to build systems that bend instead of break.—
Victoria Chynoweth,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
-
With your hands on the wall for support, bend your knees toward the wall.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
More than 60% of 136 facilities connected to missile production or the Chinese military’s rocket force, which controls China’s nuclear arsenal, showed signs of expansion in satellite images.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
This can then aid you in targeting your audience, guiding you in adjusting prices to consumer needs, and even lead you to use AI to personalize marketing messages to better connect with certain groups.—
K.H. Koehler,
jsonline.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Maia’s horrified to realize that the bag was stolen; Tallulah’s mostly just annoyed she got caught.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Before his imprisonment, Chacón was arrested in 2024 on a domestic violence charge and, in 2025, was accused of stealing merchandise at a Walmart.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The woman’s mother then reportedly grabbed Crouch to keep him away from her daughter, causing Crouch to allegedly begin attacking the victim, the affidavit said.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Again, hopefully, Foxx was able to relax a little, grab some rays and just breathe.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
So much of Brazil strains the imagination—the interminable skyline of São Paulo, the beaches of Rio curving between monoliths of granite, the aquamarine pools trapped between the undulating dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses.—
William O'Connor,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
-
But by the early 19th century, some mathematicians had started exploring other kinds of geometric spaces — ones that aren’t flat but rather curved like a sphere or saddle.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Greenstein and Goldberg tried — and failed — to dissuade their boss from giving Will Smith and his company Westbrook an overall deal with the studio, arguing that the Oscar-slap controversy and a dodgy box office track record would result in more headaches than hits.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
-
That included two stellar stops in the waning seconds of the third with Carolina on the power play, rebuffing a slap shot and then blocking the rebound with his leg pad.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Plans include two scenic overlooks of Leavenworth and arched blue railing to echo the current bridge.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The Canadian cultural mosaic, in which distinct identities exist parallel to an over-arching nationalism, further offered an alternative to the melting pot model found south of the border.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hook. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share