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 Fountain
Synonyms
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 WebBang Advertising Staff and Correspondents, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
The City of Berkeley has settled a lawsuit by the California Restaurant Association to repeal that city’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction, dealing a final blow to more than a hundred similar measures in California cities including Sacramento.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
Nearly 18 percent of customers with natural gas hookups were in arrears, with an average debt of $406.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024
One clip is from a cruising scene that has sounds of bird chirping and footsteps, showing the anticipation before an outdoor hookup.
—Hallie Lieberman, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2024
During his campaign, Mayor Mike Johnston promised to ban gas hookups in new residential buildings — one of the key differences between his and his opponent’s climate platforms.
—Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2024
Romantic Expectations: While 72% have not had a romantic hookup during previous spring break trips, 79% hope to change that this year.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, Savannah is the agent of chaos and has this ability to look at a family situation and diagnose the weak spots, which made a Brooke-Savannah hookup in the series too hard to pass up.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024
Within the first 30 minutes of Players, Ellis’ shirt comes off for a hookup scene with Rodriguez’s protagonist Mack.
—Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
Shania Russell, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Wind turbines are becoming a bigger part of the race towards a greener future—but at the same time, the technology is quickly evolving, which raises questions about how emerging turbine prototypes can be tested quickly and efficiently before they’re hooked up to power grids.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024
There are moving costs, but besides hooking up utilities such as electric and getting renters insurance, there are few upfront costs.
—Aviva Pinto, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Chmerkovskiy posted images of his X-rays, along with another of himself in a neck brace and hooked up to a drip.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
In earlier seasons — when obviously reality TV overall was different — contestants were hooking up and there was more personal drama.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Despite retaining their mobility, these THOWs typically hook up to local sewer, water and electric utilities.
—Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
The two hook up, and then Eden never hears from him.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024
Data center operators are clamoring to hook up to regional electricity grids at the same time the Biden administration’s industrial policy is luring companies to build factories in the United States at a pace not seen in decades.
—Evan Halper, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
Admire the hardwood flooring, open spaces, views of San Francisco and exhilarating style with 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, 5 Apr. 2024
The City of Berkeley has settled a lawsuit by the California Restaurant Association to repeal that city’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction, dealing a final blow to more than a hundred similar measures in California cities including Sacramento.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
Nearly 18 percent of customers with natural gas hookups were in arrears, with an average debt of $406.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024
One clip is from a cruising scene that has sounds of bird chirping and footsteps, showing the anticipation before an outdoor hookup.
—Hallie Lieberman, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2024
During his campaign, Mayor Mike Johnston promised to ban gas hookups in new residential buildings — one of the key differences between his and his opponent’s climate platforms.
—Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2024
Romantic Expectations: While 72% have not had a romantic hookup during previous spring break trips, 79% hope to change that this year.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, Savannah is the agent of chaos and has this ability to look at a family situation and diagnose the weak spots, which made a Brooke-Savannah hookup in the series too hard to pass up.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024
Within the first 30 minutes of Players, Ellis’ shirt comes off for a hookup scene with Rodriguez’s protagonist Mack.
—Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
Verb
But her close pal Eden (Glazer) is in a very different stage of her life — one that involves late-night drinking and hooking up with handsome strangers.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Wind turbines are becoming a bigger part of the race towards a greener future—but at the same time, the technology is quickly evolving, which raises questions about how emerging turbine prototypes can be tested quickly and efficiently before they’re hooked up to power grids.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024
There are moving costs, but besides hooking up utilities such as electric and getting renters insurance, there are few upfront costs.
—Aviva Pinto, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Chmerkovskiy posted images of his X-rays, along with another of himself in a neck brace and hooked up to a drip.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
In earlier seasons — when obviously reality TV overall was different — contestants were hooking up and there was more personal drama.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Despite retaining their mobility, these THOWs typically hook up to local sewer, water and electric utilities.
—Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
The two hook up, and then Eden never hears from him.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024
Data center operators are clamoring to hook up to regional electricity grids at the same time the Biden administration’s industrial policy is luring companies to build factories in the United States at a pace not seen in decades.
—Evan Halper, Washington Post, 7 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.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1904, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near hookup
Cite this Entry
“Hookup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hookup. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids 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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