hooker

1
[ hoo k-er ]
/ ˈhʊk ər /

noun

a person or thing that hooks.
Slang. prostitute.
Slang. a large drink of liquor.
Slang. a concealed problem, flaw, or drawback; a catch.
Rugby. a player who hooks the ball in the front line of scrummage.
(initial capital letter) Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an Amish Mennonite.

Origin of hooker

1
1560–70; 1835–45, Americanism for def 2; hook1 + -er1

usage note for hooker

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

Definition for hooker (2 of 3)

hooker 2
[ hoo k-er ]
/ ˈhʊk ər /

noun Nautical.

Slang. any old-fashioned or clumsy vessel.
any fishing vessel working with hooks and lines rather than nets.

Origin of hooker

2
1635–45; < Dutch hoeker, equivalent to hoek hook1 + -er -er1

Definition for hooker (3 of 3)

Hooker
[ hoo k-er ]
/ ˈhʊk ər /

noun

Joseph,1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.
Richard,1554?–1600, English author and clergyman.
Thomas,1586?–1647, English Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of the colony of Connecticut.

Example sentences from the Web for hooker

British Dictionary definitions for hooker (1 of 3)

hooker 1
/ (ˈhʊkə) /

noun

a commercial fishing boat using hooks and lines instead of nets
a sailing boat of the west of Ireland formerly used for cargo and now for pleasure sailing and racing

Word Origin for hooker

C17: from Dutch hoeker

British Dictionary definitions for hooker (2 of 3)

hooker 2
/ (ˈhʊkə) /

noun

a person or thing that hooks
US and Canadian slang
  1. a draught of alcoholic drink, esp of spirits
  2. a prostitute
rugby the central forward in the front row of a scrum whose main job is to hook the ball

British Dictionary definitions for hooker (3 of 3)

Hooker
/ (ˈhʊkə) /

noun

John Lee. 1917–2001, US blues singer and guitarist
Sir Joseph Dalton. 1817–1911, British botanist; director of Kew Gardens (1865–85)
Richard. 1554–1600, British theologian, who influenced Anglican theology with The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593–97)
Sir William Jackson. 1785–1865, British botanist; first director of Kew Gardens: father of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker