hook

A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with one end free and the other end secured to a rope or other attachment.

A barbed metal hook used for fishing; a fishhook.

Any of various hook-shaped agricultural implements such as a billhook.

The curved needle used in the art of crochet.

The part of a hinge which is fixed to a post, and on which a door or gate hangs and turns.

A loop shaped like a hook under certain written letters, for example, g and j.

A tie-in to a current event or trend that makes a news story or editorial relevant and timely.

A snare; a trap.

(in the plural) The projecting points of the thighbones of cattle; called also hook bones.

Removal or expulsion from a group or activity

“He is not handling this job, so we're giving him the hook.”

A field sown two years in succession.

(authorship) A brief, punchy opening statement intended to get attention from an audience, reader, or viewer, and make them want to continue to listen to a speech, read a book, or watch a play.

(authorship) A gimmick or element of a creative work intended to be attention-grabbing for the audience; a compelling idea for a story that will be sure to attract people's attention.

A finesse.

A jack (the playing card).

A spit or narrow cape of sand or gravel turned landward at the outer end, such as Sandy Hook in New Jersey.

A catchy musical phrase which forms the basis of a popular song.

“The song's hook snared me.”

A ship's anchor.

Part of a system's operation that can be intercepted to change or augment its behaviour.

“We've added hooks to allow undefined message types to be handled with custom code.”

(Scrabble) An instance of playing a word perpendicular to a word already on the board, adding a letter to the start or the end of the word to form a new word.

A diacritical mark shaped like the upper part of a question mark, as in ỏ.

A háček.

Senses relating to sports.

To attach a hook to.

“Hook the bag here, and the conveyor will carry it away.”

To catch with a hook (hook a fish).

“He hooked a snake accidentally, and was so scared he dropped his rod into the water.”

To work yarn into a fabric using a hook; to crochet.

To insert in a curved way reminiscent of a hook.

“He hooked his fingers through his belt loops.”

To ensnare or obligate someone, as if with a hook.

“A free trial is a good way to hook customers.”

To steal.

To connect (hook into, hook together).

“If you hook your network cable into the jack, you'll be on the network.”

(usually in passive) To make addicted; to captivate.

“He had gotten hooked on cigarettes in his youth.”

To play a hook shot.

To succeed in heeling the ball back out of a scrum (used particularly of the team's designated hooker).

To engage in the illegal maneuver of hooking (i.e., using the hockey stick to trip or block another player)

“The opposing team's forward hooked me, but the referee didn't see it, so no penalty.”

To swerve a ball; kick a ball so it swerves or bends.

To engage in prostitution.

“I had a cheap flat in the bad part of town, and I could watch the working girls hooking from my bedroom window.”

(Scrabble) To play a word perpendicular to another word by adding a single letter to the existing word.

To finesse.

To seize or pierce with the points of the horns, as cattle in attacking enemies; to gore.

To move or go with a sudden turn.