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 WebRob 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
See all Example Sentences for hookup 
Noun
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
See all Example Sentences for hookup
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 3 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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