hops plural: the ripe dried female cone-like flower clusters of a north-temperate zone twining plant (Humulus lupulus) of the hemp family used especially to impart a bitter flavor to beer
2
plural hops: the perennial climbing bine from which hops are obtained that have 3- to 5-lobed leaves and inconspicuous flowers of which the pistillate ones are in scaly cone-like clusters
Verb (1)
a rabbit hopped across the frozen grass
the frog hopped back into the pond
the bus stopped, a lone passenger hopped on, and the driver continued on his way Noun (1)
back in those days taking someone to the school hop was a big deal
she made it across the rocky creek in two hops
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Verb
Let your personality shine across topics Don’t worry about hopping the boundaries of your niche.—Renae Gregoire, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025 Great for exploring city streets or hopping between museums, this one brings polish to any travel itinerary.—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2025
Noun
In arguably her best vault of her young career, Pease took a tiny hop on her difficult Yurchenko double full, securing a huge 14.050 – the highest vault score of the night.—Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025 Irish Sticky Toffee Pudding: Rich caramel notes unite seamlessly with bready malts and a touch of hops.—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for hop
Word History
Etymology
Verb (1)
Middle English hoppen, from Old English hoppian
Noun (2)
Middle English hoppe, from Middle Dutch; akin to Old High German hopfo hop
: a twining plant (Humulus lupulus) of the hemp family with 3-lobed or 5-lobed leaves and inconspicuous flowers of which the pistillate ones are in cone-like clusters
2
hops plural: the ripe dried female cone-like flower clusters of a hop plant used especially to impart a bitter flavor to beer and also in medicine as a tonic
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