Meaning & use
hooker
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableslangoffensive
A blunt slang word for someone who has sex for money; considered rude and best avoided.
Grammar: Considered offensive; neutral words are sex worker or prostitute.
Writers describe the word hooker as a crude slang term for a sex worker.
The old film uses hooker in a way that now sounds insulting.
Journalists today choose sex worker instead of hooker.
nouncountablesport
The player in rugby union who stands in the middle of the front row of the scrum and tries to win the ball with their foot.
Grammar: A neutral position name in rugby: the hooker throws the ball in at the lineout.
The hooker threw the ball straight to the jumper at the lineout.
Our team's hooker is the smallest of the front row.
She plays hooker for her university rugby team.
nouncountablerare
A person or thing that hooks, such as a worker or a fishing boat.
Grammar: Rare outside special uses.
The fishing hooker sailed from the harbor at dawn.
The hooker on the rug-making team pulled each loop through.
Word forms
| plural | hookers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a hooker in rugby
- A hooker in rugby must be strong and quick.
- starting hooker
- The starting hooker was injured early.
- replacement hooker
- The replacement hooker came on after halftime.
- hooker's throw
- The hooker's throw at the lineout was perfectly aimed.
- front-row hooker
- A front-row hooker needs great neck strength.
Synonyms and how they differ
- prostitute
- Prostitute is the standard, more neutral term in formal writing, while hooker is blunt slang.
- sex worker
- Sex worker is the preferred respectful term in current usage, whereas hooker sounds crude.
- call girl
- Call girl is older and implies someone booked by phone, a narrower idea than the general slang hooker.
Word family
Commonly confused: hooker or hooker (surname)?
hooker vs hooker (surname)
Hooker is also a surname, as in the physicist Joseph Hooker; context will show whether it is a person's name.
Practice
In rugby union, which player throws the ball in at the lineout?
Choose one answer.
The hooker, in the middle of the front row, normally throws the ball in. The lock, fly-half, and winger have different jobs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hooker”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.