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
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Recent Examples of hooking
Guys hooking drives into the next county.
—
Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
While hooking paying customers remains a challenge for most of the AI industry, Grok stands out as a particularly terrible performer.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 14 May 2026
Devon Toews was called for a hooking penalty, giving Minnesota 63 seconds of 4-on-3 power-play time.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
Mason McTavish’s hooking minor proved costly as the Oilers scored just four seconds into the penalty.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 27 Apr. 2026
By hooking a solo shot around the Pesky Pole, the lefty swinger finally hit his first dinger of the year off Boston southpaw Payton Tolle.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
But Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was called for hooking Byfield from behind on the play, setting up a penalty shot.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
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
Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
While hooking paying customers remains a challenge for most of the AI industry, Grok stands out as a particularly terrible performer.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 14 May 2026
Devon Toews was called for a hooking penalty, giving Minnesota 63 seconds of 4-on-3 power-play time.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
Mason McTavish’s hooking minor proved costly as the Oilers scored just four seconds into the penalty.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 27 Apr. 2026
By hooking a solo shot around the Pesky Pole, the lefty swinger finally hit his first dinger of the year off Boston southpaw Payton Tolle.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
But Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was called for hooking Byfield from behind on the play, setting up a penalty shot.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooking
Verb
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If something about the now-problematic gender-bending killer of Camp Miasma reminds you of 1983’s Sleepaway Camp, Schoenbrun is not coy about the parallel.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
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The galaxy's red and orange spiral arms bending outward can measure tens or even hundreds of light-years across.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s industry segment, the Agora, is the primary platform for connecting Greek and international professionals, with a focus on Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean that extends at times to Scandinavia and the Baltics.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
20 May 2026
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One example is a utility modernizing storm response by connecting outage systems, field dispatch, weather feeds and customer communications.—
Deepak Garg,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are less than 24 hours removed from an instant classic in Game 1 of their Western Conference Finals matchup, with the Spurs stealing home court advantage thanks to a 122-115 double-overtime win in OKC.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
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An indictment charged Paul Caneiro with stealing at least $75,000.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
Verb
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The driver who picked up the goods told FT that grabbing items in the location takes roughly five minutes, while the same trip to a Walmart Supercenter store could take 25 minutes.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
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The Limitless Lash Mascara is especially worth grabbing while it’s marked down.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Mutable clay offers a contrast to precise silver, in a composition that has the curving voids reminiscent of Joan Lurie and Henry Moore.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
17 May 2026
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High up on the curving walls to either side were large murals painted in the 1930s by the artist Barry Faulkner portraying Thomas Jefferson handing the Declaration to John Hancock and the ratification of the Constitution.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Verb
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With gracefully arching foliage, daylilies add texture and movement to garden borders and pathways.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
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Flow between arching and rounding your back to improve spinal mobility.—
Christopher Bergland,
Verywell Health,
11 May 2026
Verb
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This experience now feeds directly into production, with a focus on integrating audience awareness and positioning from the earliest stages of a project’s development, Romeo specified.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
14 May 2026
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Our research suggests that integrating AI into team settings doesn’t happen naturally, and introducing AI into meetings without laying the proper groundwork can narrow participation, fragment discussions, or shift ownership away from the team.—
Gabriele Rosani,
Harvard Business Review,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Security footage showed a black vehicle plowing through and swiping the vehicle next to it.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
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The Spurs are up on them, swiping at the ball, trapping Edwards and funneling all action to Wembanyama.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hooking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooking. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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