hop
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to make a short, bouncing leap; move by leaping with all feet off the ground.
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to spring or leap on one foot.
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Informal. to make a short, quick trip, especially in an airplane.
He hopped up to Boston for the day.
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Informal. to travel or move frequently from one place or situation to another (usually used in combination).
to island-hop;
to job-hop.
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Older Use: Informal. to dance.
verb (used with object)
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to jump over; clear with a hop.
The sheep hopped the fence.
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Informal. to board or get onto a vehicle.
to hop a plane.
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Informal. to cross in an airplane.
We hopped the Atlantic in five hours.
noun
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an act of hopping; short leap.
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a leap on one foot.
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a journey, especially a short trip by air.
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Older Use: Informal. a dance or dancing party.
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a bounce or rebound of a moving object, as a ball.
She caught the ball on the first hop.
idioms
noun
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any twining plant of the genus Humulus, bearing male flowers in loose clusters and female flowers in conelike forms.
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hops, the dried ripe cones of the female flowers of this plant, used in brewing, medicine, etc.
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Older Slang. a narcotic drug, especially opium.
verb (used with object)
verb phrase
verb
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(intr) to make a jump forwards or upwards, esp on one foot
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(intr) (esp of frogs, birds, rabbits, etc) to move forwards in short jumps
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(tr) to jump over
he hopped the hedge
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informal (intr) to move or proceed quickly (in, on, out of, etc)
hop on a bus
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informal (tr) to cross (an ocean) in an aircraft
they hopped the Atlantic in seven hours
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informal (tr) to travel by means of (an aircraft, bus, etc)
he hopped a train to Chicago
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to bounce or cause to bounce
he hopped the flat stone over the lake's surface
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informal (intr) to begin intense activity, esp work
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(intr) another word for limp 1
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slang to go away
noun
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the act or an instance of hopping
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old-fashioned a dance, esp one at which popular music is played
we're all going to the school hop tonight
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informal a trip, esp in an aircraft
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a bounce, as of a ball
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informal
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active or busy
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unawares or unprepared
the new ruling caught me on the hop
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noun
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any climbing plant of the N temperate genus Humulus, esp H. lupulus, which has green conelike female flowers and clusters of small male flowers: family Cannabiaceae (or Cannabidaceae ) See also hops
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a field of hops
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obsolete opium or any other narcotic drug
Other Word Forms
- hoppingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of hop1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb hoppen, Old English hoppian; cognate with German hopfen, Old Norse hoppa
Origin of hop2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English hoppe, from Middle Dutch hoppe ( Dutch hop ); cognate with Old High German hopfo ( German Hopfen )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"If you're heading to the show, make sure you hop off the tram at the Etihad campus," she was heard telling passengers travelling to awards.
From BBC
The answer was yes, and so we hopped out of the vehicle and ran with excitement.
From Los Angeles Times
“We’re hopping and hollering in our living rooms,” Michael said, “but it’s nothing like being in person.”
From Los Angeles Times
"It looks like someone left it there, hopped off to whatever they were doing and never thought about the scooter again," he tells me with an exasperated sigh.
From BBC
Handsome was readying himself to step onto the rock where Major Puff presently stood when suddenly the puffin boldly shouted, “Finally, a real battle! Take that!” while hopping backward away from Handsome.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
