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 FountainSynonyms
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 WebHayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 9 May 2024
Kate got me out of my cell on errands while Ann gave me the hookup.
—Brittney Griner, TIME, 3 May 2024
Hardwood flooring, open spaces, San Francisco views and exhilarating style showcase walls of glass that open to over 1,000 square feet of decking with barbecue hookups and enchanting views.
—Bang Advertising Staff and Correspondents, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
According to a seven-page complaint filed earlier this month, the trouble began after the restaurateurs leased a property at 3750 30th St., and learned the site needed a natural gas hookup and an electrical upgrade.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
Here was a less varnished landscape of avatars — for our co-workers, bosses, neighbors, acquaintances, hookups, bad dates and in-laws.
—Wesley Morris Ron Butler Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Carmichael sucks the toes of a casual hookup during a postcoital debrief.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
The campground has on-site hiking trails, a swimming pool, and pet-friendly sites, along with full hookups and access to laundry and hot showers.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 14 Mar. 2024
On any other night, a surprising hookup would be good gossip—great gossip, even!
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2024
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 16 May 2024
Swerdlow would also pay an additional $1 million over 10 years to Miami-Dade, plus another $1 million to a fund that helps homeowners with septic tanks pay for hooking up their plumbing to the county sewer system.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024
While innumerable disco parodies and cash-ins cheapened the genre, Young and crew kept working, turning out more hits and hooking up with a trio of siblings, Joe Cayre, Ken Cayre and Stan Cayre, and their label, Salsoul Records.
—John Morrison, SPIN, 9 May 2024
The show is about a few formative months in the life of Ali, a 17-year-old girl chafing under her mother’s vigilance, hooking up with a street musician and discovering a gift for piano.
—Michael Paulson, New York Times, 8 May 2024
It wasn’t hooked up to a vehicle, the radio traffic indicates.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2024
Those of you rams already hooked up could find May is the month which produces an entirely unexpected turn in your love story.
—Debbie Frank, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
Williams spent Christmas on a ventilator, while also hooked up to a web of wires, beeping sensors and a tube to help keep her breathing.
—Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
There’s pleasure in the image of Akbar hooked up to tubes of story, committing to a new form with Orkideh-like fervor.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
Instead of relying on a generator or a power hookup, the panels power the air conditioning, appliances and other utilities.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 9 May 2024
Kate got me out of my cell on errands while Ann gave me the hookup.
—Brittney Griner, TIME, 3 May 2024
Hardwood flooring, open spaces, San Francisco views and exhilarating style showcase walls of glass that open to over 1,000 square feet of decking with barbecue hookups and enchanting views.
—Bang Advertising Staff and Correspondents, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
According to a seven-page complaint filed earlier this month, the trouble began after the restaurateurs leased a property at 3750 30th St., and learned the site needed a natural gas hookup and an electrical upgrade.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
Here was a less varnished landscape of avatars — for our co-workers, bosses, neighbors, acquaintances, hookups, bad dates and in-laws.
—Wesley Morris Ron Butler Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Carmichael sucks the toes of a casual hookup during a postcoital debrief.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
The campground has on-site hiking trails, a swimming pool, and pet-friendly sites, along with full hookups and access to laundry and hot showers.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 14 Mar. 2024
On any other night, a surprising hookup would be good gossip—great gossip, even!
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2024
Verb
Dressed in a cheetah-print top and joined by her band Y’all, Clarkson’s powerful voice added some oomph to Rodrigo’s playful anthem about hooking up with an ex-boyfriend — in spite of what your friends might think.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 16 May 2024
Swerdlow would also pay an additional $1 million over 10 years to Miami-Dade, plus another $1 million to a fund that helps homeowners with septic tanks pay for hooking up their plumbing to the county sewer system.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024
While innumerable disco parodies and cash-ins cheapened the genre, Young and crew kept working, turning out more hits and hooking up with a trio of siblings, Joe Cayre, Ken Cayre and Stan Cayre, and their label, Salsoul Records.
—John Morrison, SPIN, 9 May 2024
The show is about a few formative months in the life of Ali, a 17-year-old girl chafing under her mother’s vigilance, hooking up with a street musician and discovering a gift for piano.
—Michael Paulson, New York Times, 8 May 2024
It wasn’t hooked up to a vehicle, the radio traffic indicates.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2024
Those of you rams already hooked up could find May is the month which produces an entirely unexpected turn in your love story.
—Debbie Frank, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
Williams spent Christmas on a ventilator, while also hooked up to a web of wires, beeping sensors and a tube to help keep her breathing.
—Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
There’s pleasure in the image of Akbar hooked up to tubes of story, committing to a new form with Orkideh-like fervor.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near hookup
Cite this Entry
“Hookup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hookup. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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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