1
as in bending
to cause to turn away from a straight line
the pitcher hooked the ball, and the batter missed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in connecting
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 stealing
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 grabbing
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
I hooked the biggest fish of the day, and then released it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in curving
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
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Recent Examples of hooking
Also mentioned is an auto-hitch system to simplify hooking it up to the tow vehicle.
—
New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2026
The great Amazon in its north drains large areas as does the Parana-River Plate watershed to its south that reaches the Atlantic in the estuary between Argentina and Uruguay, The San Francisco flows north for hundreds of miles before hooking a right and dropping to the Atlantic.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
The Golden Knights got their first power play 5 seconds after their penalty expired as New Jersey's Nico Hischier was whistled for hooking.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
The third came four seconds after the Bruins killed an Eyssimont hooking penalty.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Hahn and Jeff Glaid, the WGFD biologist who conducted the study, told a room full of anglers in 2024 that if regulations didn’t change, and hooking injuries to fish — like bottom jaws torn off and severe scarring — continued, the department would have to start restocking in earnest.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
The rescuer takes two trips, hooking each passenger up to a line, then hoisting them from the beach, the video shows.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
By then Carolina had extended its advantage to two thanks again to Jarvis, who capitalized on the visitors’ third power play – hooking by Jackson LaCombe – with a one-time wrist shot from the right circle for his sixth goal of the season.
—Josh Gross, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
With deals on Apple AirPods, Vera Bradley bags, Neutrogena makeup wipes, and Dreo portable space heaters, Amazon is hooking you up for the fall, winter, and beyond.
—Shalwah Evans, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2026
The great Amazon in its north drains large areas as does the Parana-River Plate watershed to its south that reaches the Atlantic in the estuary between Argentina and Uruguay, The San Francisco flows north for hundreds of miles before hooking a right and dropping to the Atlantic.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
The Golden Knights got their first power play 5 seconds after their penalty expired as New Jersey's Nico Hischier was whistled for hooking.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
The third came four seconds after the Bruins killed an Eyssimont hooking penalty.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Hahn and Jeff Glaid, the WGFD biologist who conducted the study, told a room full of anglers in 2024 that if regulations didn’t change, and hooking injuries to fish — like bottom jaws torn off and severe scarring — continued, the department would have to start restocking in earnest.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
The rescuer takes two trips, hooking each passenger up to a line, then hoisting them from the beach, the video shows.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
By then Carolina had extended its advantage to two thanks again to Jarvis, who capitalized on the visitors’ third power play – hooking by Jackson LaCombe – with a one-time wrist shot from the right circle for his sixth goal of the season.
—Josh Gross, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
With deals on Apple AirPods, Vera Bradley bags, Neutrogena makeup wipes, and Dreo portable space heaters, Amazon is hooking you up for the fall, winter, and beyond.
—Shalwah Evans, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooking
Verb
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Between Brothers is a genre-bending mix of odd-couple road trip, historical mystery, and family therapy, among other things.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
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Digging in Far from bending to the pressure, the Cuban government is digging in.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Combat these fears by connecting your negotiation to your identity and personal goals.—
Kwame Christian Esq,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Everyone planning, strategizing, connecting, feeding one another.—
Katherine Packert Burke,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a decision filed last week in Fulton County Superior Court, District Attorney Fani Willis said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute Patty Durand for stealing trade secrets, which is a felony.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Portland cut it to single digits early in the fourth with a pair of at-the-rim makes by Robert Williams III, the second of which Holiday set up by stealing an errant White pass.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Rene Arturo Lujan, 43, admitted to grabbing two girls on June 18 and June 20, 2024, leading to his arrest roughly two hours after the second kidnapping attempt.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The ridges all lean the same way, slanting and curving in from the lower left of the frame, which ESA noted reflects the direction of the prevailing wind in this region.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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This results in plasma flows curving backward instead of expanding freely, and old plasma is pushed sideways, forming long, wispy tails.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Infiniti’s nomination follows an outcry over her exclusion from the Academy Awards, with co-star Leonardo DiCaprio among those arching an eyebrow.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
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At one point, the arching filament detached from one of its anchor points on the sun and launched out into space, blown by the ferocity of the solar wind.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The team says that integrating quantum batteries into computer architecture could offer a pathway to faster processing and superior energy efficiency.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
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However, delays with permitting and the high capex costs of constructing heat networks and integrating data centers to the system make scaling the model challenging.—
April Roach,Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Home security camera footage captured a suspect wearing black clothing and glasses swiping the bear off the front porch of the Lakeshore Drive home.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Keep swiping, because new love might be waiting to meet you.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hooking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooking. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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