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• hooker
  hooker

  noun

  a person or thing that hooks.
• Hooker
  Hooker

  noun

  Joseph, 1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.

hooker

¹ American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that hooks.

2. Slang. prostitute.

3. Slang. a large drink of liquor.

4. Slang. a concealed problem, flaw, or drawback; a catch.

5. Rugby. a player who hooks the ball in the front line of scrummage.

6. (initial capital letter) a contemptuous term used to refer to an Amish Mennonite.

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hooker ² American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

Nautical.

1. Slang. any old-fashioned or clumsy vessel.

2. any fishing vessel working with hooks and lines rather than nets.

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Hooker ³ American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

1. Joseph, 1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.

2. Richard, 1554?–1600, English author and clergyman.

3. Thomas, 1586?–1647, English Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of the colony of Connecticut.

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hooker ¹ British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that hooks

2. slang

   1. a draught of alcoholic drink, esp of spirits

   2. a prostitute

3. rugby the central forward in the front row of a scrum whose main job is to hook the ball

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Hooker ² British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. John Lee. 1917–2001, US blues singer and guitarist

2. Sir Joseph Dalton. 1817–1911, British botanist; director of Kew Gardens (1865–85)

3. Richard. 1554–1600, British theologian, who influenced Anglican theology with The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593–97)

4. Sir William Jackson. 1785–1865, British botanist; first director of Kew Gardens: father of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker

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hooker ³ British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. a commercial fishing boat using hooks and lines instead of nets

2. a sailing boat of the west of Ireland formerly used for cargo and now for pleasure sailing and racing

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Sensitive Note

The Mennonites were irreverently spoken of as Hookers , because they used hooks and eyes on their clothes instead of buttons.

Etymology

Origin of hooker¹

First recorded in 1560–70; in 1835–45 hooker ¹ for def. 2, an Americanism; hook ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of hooker²

First recorded in 1635–45; from Dutch hoeker, equivalent to hoek hook ¹ + -er -er ¹

Example Sentences

Handy, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Ike Turner and Sam Cooke all hailed from or lived for a while in this blues mecca.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Brian Hooker told CBS News shortly after his release that he wants to believe his wife is still alive and plans to go back out to look for her as soon as possible.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Hooker Atkin-Davies, a replacement in that final and inspired by Ward's return to rugby, announced she was pregnant with her first child in December 2025 and, like Ward, is due to give birth this summer.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

In a statement shared with US media partner CBS News on Wednesday, Brian Hooker said he was "heartbroken" about his wife's disappearance and thanked authorities and volunteers for the ongoing search.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Longstreet said, “What do you hear of Hooker? Where is he?”

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

Related Words

• prostitute