# play hooky

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/play-hooky
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To play truant; to avoid (informally: skip) school, work, or other duties (stay away from these without permission nor an excuse); to skive or to bunk off (UK);

## Examples

- He played hooky from school to watch a movie.
- You should not play hooky just because you are bored with your chores.
- They often play hooky to practice their guitar skills at the park.
- My coworker played hooky last Friday and pretended to be sick, but we saw her at the beach.
- If the weather stays this beautiful tomorrow, I might play hooky from my morning meetings and spend the whole day hiking in the woods.
- The entire marketing team decided to play hooky after their big project finished, so they went to a baseball game instead of returning to the office.
- The rebellious teenager, weary of algebra and essays, played hooky for the third time that month and wandered the empty streets until dusk.

## Origin

From *hooky*, likely derived from the Dutch *hoekje*, meaning hide-and-seek, or from the Dutch *hoeckje spelen*. The construction of the phrase follows the same pattern as *play truant*.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.