The Meaning of Hook Up: What It Is and How To Use It

What does the slang term hook up mean, and how can you use it in conversation? This article will teach you the meaning of hook up.

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Have you ever heard someone use the idiom hook up in a conversation and wondered what it meant? The term hook up has multiple meanings, and you may not be aware of all of them. 

This article will define the term hook up and teach you how to use it. Then, it will explore alternative ways to say hook up in English and ways to say hook up in other languages. 

Read on to become an expert on the term hook up!

What Does Hook Up Mean?

According to Cambridge Dictionary, hook up is a phrasal verb that means to connect or attach. This verb can also mean to meet with a person or a group of people. 

You can use hook up either figuratively or literally. For example, if you say that you are going to hook up with some friends at a restaurant, you are using the term figuratively. You are going to mentally and emotionally connect with your friends in a planned location.

If you say that you are going to hook up a new washing machine, you are using the verb hook up in a literal way. This is because you are physically going to connect the washing machine to water and electricity. 

What Does the Slang Term Hook Up Mean?

Hook up is also a slang term that means having a sexual experience with someone you are not in a serious relationship with. Hoop up can mean different things to different people, from a make out session to oral sex to sexual intercourse.

Suppose you are hooking up with more than one person outside of a romantic relationship and have frequent one-night stands. In that case, it is important to be tested for sexually transmitted infections often. 

Sometimes, people who have casual sexual encounters may not be ready for a relationship’s emotional connection or commitment but want to participate in sexual activity. For example, many times, college students participate in casual sex. 

This type of sexual relationship works for some people, but others might find it difficult to separate intimacy from emotional connection and prefer a committed relationship.

What Are Translations of Hook Up?

You might be wondering how to say the American English slang term hook up in other languages. For this, Nice Translator has got you covered! They provide several definitions of the term hook up so that you can learn how to use this phrase in numerous languages. 

However, not all countries use the phrase hook up in the same way that Americans do — use the term with caution!

  • Japanese: つなぐ
  • Basque: lotu
  • Danish: Tilslut dig
  • Thai: ติด
  • Amharic: ተጣብቆ መያዝ
  • Telugu: తగిలించు
  • German: anschließen
  • Russian: монтировать
  • Bengali: হুক আপ
  • Estonian: ühendama
  • Czech: připojit
  • Malay: menyambung
  • Marathi: हुक अप
  • Bulgarian: закачете се
  • Turkish: ilişki kurmak
  • Croatian: spojiti
  • Urdu: ہک اپ
  • Tamil: ஹூக் அப்
  • Dutch: aansluiten
  • Romanian: None
  • Catalan: Enganxa’t
  • Portuguese (Portugal): ligar
  • Norwegian: koble til
  • Welsh: bachu
  • Spanish: conectar
  • Ukrainian: підключити
  • Hebrew: להתחבר
  • Indonesian: Pasang
  • Polish: przyłączać
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 掛鉤
  • Slovak: pripojiť
  • Korean: 연결
  • Malayalam: ഹുക്ക് അപ്പ്
  • Icelandic: krækir upp
  • French: brancher
  • Finnish: liittää yhteen
  • Arabic: يلتقي
  • Portuguese (Brazil): ligar
  • Kannada: ಕೊಕ್ಕೆ
  • Serbian: смувати се
  • Italian: allacciare
  • Swedish: träffas
  • Slovenian: dobiti se
  • Hindi: जोड़ना
  • Vietnamese: treo lên
  • Hungarian: összecsap
  • Chinese (PRC): 挂钩
  • Latvian: saliekt
  • Greek: συνδέω
  • Lithuanian: pakabinti

What Are Synonyms of Hook Up?

Hook up is a casual term, even if it is not being used as slang for casual sexual relations. Many people also know that hook up has a slang connotation. If you are trying to avoid an informal phrase or one that might imply a sexual undertone, opt for a synonym of hook up from Power Thesaurus.

  • adhere
  • affix
  • ally
  • amalgamate
  • append
  • associate
  • attach
  • band together
  • bind
  • bolt
  • chain
  • clamp
  • coact
  • cofunction
  • collaborate
  • collude
  • combine
  • come aboard
  • concert
  • connect
  • connected
  • consociate
  • cooperate
  • coproduce
  • couple
  • do business with
  • fasten
  • get together
  • go partners
  • hitch
  • hitch up
  • hook
  • hooked up
  • interface
  • join
  • join forces
  • join together
  • join up with
  • join with
  • lash
  • link
  • link up
  • marry
  • merge
  • network with
  • pull together
  • secure
  • stick
  • team up
  • throw in together
  • throw in with
  • tie
  • tie in
  • tie up
  • unite
  • wire
  • work together
  • yoke

What Are Antonyms of Hook Up?

Power Thesaurus also lists many opposites of the term hook up that mean to disconnect or detach:

  • alienate
  • break
  • break off
  • break up
  • cleave
  • cut off
  • deactivate
  • decouple
  • detach
  • disassociate
  • disconnect
  • disconnected
  • disconnecting
  • disconnection
  • disengage
  • disentangle
  • disjoin
  • dislocate
  • dissever
  • dissociate
  • disunite
  • divide
  • divorce
  • estrange
  • free
  • gulf
  • isolate
  • loosen
  • part
  • release
  • remove
  • segregate
  • separate
  • separating
  • sever
  • shut down
  • shut off
  • split
  • split up
  • sunder
  • switch off
  • turn off
  • uncouple
  • undo
  • unfasten
  • unhitch
  • unhook
  • unlink
  • unplug
  • untie
  • unyoke

Conclusion

The definition of hook up may vary based on context. First, the term hook up can mean to connect or connect with. You can use the term hook up literally or figuratively in this context. If you’re going to hook up with some colleagues for happy hour, you are using the term hook up figuratively. If you are going to hook up the hose to water the plants, you are using the term hook up literally.

The term hook up is also a slang term that means to have sexual relations casually. If two people hook up, they are not in a relationship. Sometimes, people who hook up on the regular are called friends with benefits. If you only hook up with someone one time, it is called a one-night stand.

Sources:

  1. Hook Up synonyms – 1 000 Words and Phrases for Hook Up | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Disconnect synonyms – 920 Words and Phrases for Disconnect | Power Thesaurus 
  3. HOOK UP | Cambridge English Dictionary 
  4. Hook Up | Nice Translator