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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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 hooking One key to detecting bites and hooking cool-water crappies lies in understanding the way the fish feed. —
Cory Schmidt, Outdoor Life, 15 Apr. 2026 For example, when Athena hits a step or an obstacle, the front flippers extend forward and upward, hooking onto the ledge before pulling up the rest of the robot and stabilizing it. —New Atlas, 13 Apr. 2026 If any one case is thrown out, Trump’s allies will just try again, hooking onto any conceivable excuse until both your will and your resources are depleted. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026 The trial is a test case, known as a bellwether, tied to about 2,000 other pending lawsuits brought by parents and school districts arguing that social media giants should be considered manufacturers of defective products for hooking a generation of young people to social media feeds. —Bobby Allyn, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026 Greer was assessed a hooking minor, an interference major and a game misconduct. —ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026 Soto scored on Guerrero’s double in a four-run fourth, hooking an arm around catcher Dong Won Park with a head-first slide. —Kristie Rieken, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026 Then, after the B’s repeatedly turned it over in their zone, Lindholm wiped out the final 26 seconds of the PP with a hooking call that may have saved a goal as the puck was laying behind Swayman in the crease. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026 Then by hooking the alien up to a computer, which translates his thoughts into one-liners that, within half an hour, are adorable enough to be sitcom-worthy. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Cory Schmidt, Outdoor Life, 15 Apr. 2026 For example, when Athena hits a step or an obstacle, the front flippers extend forward and upward, hooking onto the ledge before pulling up the rest of the robot and stabilizing it. —New Atlas, 13 Apr. 2026 If any one case is thrown out, Trump’s allies will just try again, hooking onto any conceivable excuse until both your will and your resources are depleted. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026 The trial is a test case, known as a bellwether, tied to about 2,000 other pending lawsuits brought by parents and school districts arguing that social media giants should be considered manufacturers of defective products for hooking a generation of young people to social media feeds. —Bobby Allyn, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026 Greer was assessed a hooking minor, an interference major and a game misconduct. —ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026 Soto scored on Guerrero’s double in a four-run fourth, hooking an arm around catcher Dong Won Park with a head-first slide. —Kristie Rieken, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026 Then, after the B’s repeatedly turned it over in their zone, Lindholm wiped out the final 26 seconds of the PP with a hooking call that may have saved a goal as the puck was laying behind Swayman in the crease. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026 Then by hooking the alien up to a computer, which translates his thoughts into one-liners that, within half an hour, are adorable enough to be sitcom-worthy. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooking
Verb
-
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was the first to treat the world to the brain-bending sight of a rocket landing itself.— Arianna Huffington, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
-
This may occur due to the neck bending forward, compressing the veins, the authors suggested.— Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
It’s packed with personal emotion expressed through the dynamic world of wrestling, which has always been about storytelling and connecting with a live audience.— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
-
This is not a party place, but one for connecting with family and friends.— Carole Dixon, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves both bounced back by stealing Game 2 on the road in their respective series.— Geoff Clark OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
-
In November, the Justice Department charged the Florida Democrat with stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for her campaign.— Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One person in a Gerrit Cole jersey threw a nasty right hook after grabbing someone from behind.— Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
-
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio similarly drew ridicule when he was caught using a knife and fork to eat pizza instead of grabbing the slice with his hands like any real New Yorker paisano would.— Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The mattress's latex core has a five-zone structure that provides varying levels of firmness tailored to support different areas of your body — with the most enhanced support in the mid-section to prevent your back from curving or sagging.— Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
-
Hiding in a labyrinth of gardens and more than 50 art installations, private bungalows and three-bedroom villas with freshwater pools overlook Crete’s curving, mountainous coastline.— Yulia Denisyuk, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The plant is a clump-forming fern with arching stems.— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 10 Apr. 2026
-
The permanent exhibit includes a full-scale replica of the Nihonbashi Bridge, an arching wooden structure that once joined the five roads to Edo at the gate to the capital.— Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The job responsibilities are broad, but generally involve building and running AI products, including AI agents and Large Language Models (LLMs), and integrating them into a business's workflow.— Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
-
The update builds on a partnership between Boston Dynamics and Google DeepMind announced earlier this year, focused on integrating advanced AI models into robotic systems.— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the 2025 first round, Brooks admitted to trying to injure Curry’s gimpy right hand by swiping at it after Curry took jumpers.— Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
-
Ball tripped Adebayo, with Ball swiping and making contact with Adebayo’s lower leg.— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hooking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/hooking. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
