# hook up

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hook-up
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to meet someone to spend time together, or to start a casual romantic relationship with them.

For teachers: to meet or associate with someone, often implying the initiation of a casual sexual or romantic relationship. It functions intransitively or takes a prepositional object with 'with'.

## Examples

- We should hook up for coffee sometime next week.
- After chatting online for weeks, they finally decided to hook up in person at a local park.
- Sociologists often analyze how digital platforms have transformed the way young adults hook up, shifting the traditional boundaries of courtship and casual dating.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I hooked up my old friend." but "I hooked up with my old friend." — without 'with', the phrase implies you are providing something for your friend or connecting them to someone else.

## Usage notes

- use 'with' to specify the person you are meeting or starting a relationship with.
- Teaching tip: warn students about the potential sexual connotation in American English so they use it carefully in professional settings.

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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.