hop

1
[ hop ]
See synonyms for: hophoppedhoppinghops on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),hopped, hop·ping.
  1. to make a short, bouncing leap; move by leaping with all feet off the ground.

  2. to spring or leap on one foot.

  1. Informal. to make a short, quick trip, especially in an airplane: He hopped up to Boston for the day.

  2. Informal. to travel or move frequently from one place or situation to another (usually used in combination): to island-hop;to job-hop.

  3. Older Use: Informal. to dance.

verb (used with object),hopped, hop·ping.
  1. to jump over; clear with a hop: The sheep hopped the fence.

  2. Informal. to board or get onto a vehicle: to hop a plane.

  1. Informal. to cross in an airplane: We hopped the Atlantic in five hours.

noun
  1. an act of hopping; short leap.

  2. a leap on one foot.

  1. a journey, especially a short trip by air.

  2. Older Use: Informal. a dance or dancing party.

  3. a bounce or rebound of a moving object, as a ball: She caught the ball on the first hop.

Idioms about hop

  1. hop to it, Informal. to begin to move, become active, or do something immediately: You'd better hop to it if you intend to buy groceries before the market closes.: Also hop to.

Origin of hop

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb hoppen, Old English hoppian; cognate with German hopfen, Old Norse hoppa

Other words for hop

Other words from hop

  • hop·ping·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with hop

Words Nearby hop

Other definitions for hop (2 of 2)

hop2
[ hop ]

noun
  1. any twining plant of the genus Humulus, bearing male flowers in loose clusters and female flowers in conelike forms.

  2. hops, the dried ripe cones of the female flowers of this plant, used in brewing, medicine, etc.

  1. Older Slang. a narcotic drug, especially opium.

verb (used with object),hopped, hop·ping.
  1. to treat or flavor with hops.

Verb Phrases
  1. hop up, Slang.

    • to excite; make enthusiastic: They hopped the crowd up with fiery speeches.

    • to add to the power of: The kids hopped up the motor of their jalopy.

    • to stimulate by narcotics.

Origin of hop

2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English hoppe, from Middle Dutch hoppe (Dutch hop ); cognate with Old High German hopfo (German Hopfen )

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hop (1 of 2)

hop1

/ (hɒp) /


verbhops, hopping or hopped
  1. (intr) to make a jump forwards or upwards, esp on one foot

  2. (intr) (esp of frogs, birds, rabbits, etc) to move forwards in short jumps

  1. (tr) to jump over: he hopped the hedge

  2. (intr) informal to move or proceed quickly (in, on, out of, etc): hop on a bus

  3. (tr) informal to cross (an ocean) in an aircraft: they hopped the Atlantic in seven hours

  4. (tr) US and Canadian informal to travel by means of (an aircraft, bus, etc): he hopped a train to Chicago

  5. US and Canadian to bounce or cause to bounce: he hopped the flat stone over the lake's surface

  6. (intr) US and Canadian informal to begin intense activity, esp work

  7. (intr) another word for limp 1

  8. hop it or hop off British slang to go away

noun
  1. the act or an instance of hopping

  2. old-fashioned, informal a dance, esp one at which popular music is played: we're all going to the school hop tonight

  1. informal a trip, esp in an aircraft

  2. US a bounce, as of a ball

  3. on the hop informal

    • active or busy

    • British unawares or unprepared: the new ruling caught me on the hop

Origin of hop

1
Old English hoppian; related to Old Norse hoppa to hop, Middle Low German hupfen

British Dictionary definitions for hop (2 of 2)

hop2

/ (hɒp) /


noun
  1. 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

  2. hop garden a field of hops

  1. obsolete, slang opium or any other narcotic drug

Origin of hop

2
C15: from Middle Dutch hoppe; related to Old High German hopfo, Norwegian hupp tassel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with hop

hop

In addition to the idioms beginning with hope

  • hope against hope
  • hope springs eternal
  • hop to it
  • hop up

also see:

  • mad as a hornet (hops)

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.