Meaning & use
hooks
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“hooks” is a form of “hook”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Curved pieces of metal or plastic used to hang things on or to catch or hold something.
Grammar: Plural of hook: coats hang on the hooks.
Patterns
- hang something on the hooks
Hang your coat on one of the hooks by the door.
He cast the line and the fish took one of the hooks.
The kitchen has hooks for pots and pans.
nounpluralinformal
Catchy parts of a song or other work that grab attention and make people remember it.
Grammar: Plural of hook: the song has plenty of hooks.
Patterns
- hooks in a song
The album is full of catchy hooks.
Good songwriters know how to write strong hooks.
The opening scene has several hooks to grab the audience.
verbtransitive
Third person singular of hook: attaches, catches or holds something with a hook or similar curved shape.
Grammar: Takes an object: she hooks the cable onto the beam.
Patterns
- hooks something onto something
She hooks the trailer to the truck every morning.
The skater hooks her arm around her partner.
He hooks the bag over the chair.
Word forms
| singular | hook |
|---|
Common combinations
- coat hooks
- There are coat hooks in the hall.
- fish hooks
- Be careful with the sharp fish hooks.
- catchy hooks
- The band writes catchy hooks.
- hang on hooks
- Pans hang on hooks above the stove.
- hooks and eyes
- The dress fastens with tiny hooks and eyes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pegs
- Pegs are usually short wooden or plastic pins that stick out of a wall, and not always curved like hooks.
- clasps
- Clasps fasten two parts of something such as jewellery, whereas hooks hang or catch things.
- catches
- Catches are devices that hold something shut, while hooks hold things up or grab them.
- refrains
- Refrains are the repeated lines in songs, but hooks must also be catchy enough to attract attention.
Word family
Commonly confused: hooks or hawks? hooks or books?
hooks vs hawks
Hawks are birds of prey and sound similar to hooks only in some accents, so keep the two apart.
hooks vs books
Books are written works and differ from hooks by only one letter.
Practice
The singer says the secret of a hit song is writing strong ____ that people remember.
Choose one answer.
Hooks are the catchy parts of a song. The other words are real words but do not describe memorable parts of a song.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hooks”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.