Illustration of hop
- 3hop 2
hopped; hopping
1
: to move by a quick springy leap or in a series of leaps
also
: to move as if by hopping
hop in the car
2
: to make a quick trip especially by air
3
: to set about doing something
—usually used in the phrase hop to it
1
: to jump over
hop a fence
2
: to ride on
hopped a flight
also
: to ride surreptitiously and without authorization
hop a freight train
1
2
3
a
: a flight in an aircraft
b
: a short trip
1
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
Synonyms
Examples of hop in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Some lay down for a minute before hopping up to give the next person a glimpse.
—K.c. Alfred, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Poodle Moth got the last of the warm water and hopped in the shower at the end of the night.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Osaka wanted to hop on the ramen trend that bled over to Colorado from New York early and has quickly won over Denverites with steaming bowls of tonkotsu and spicy miso.
—Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Her nails were shaped into soft squares and painted in a typical French style, but instead of simple bright white tips, teeny tiny bugs fluttered and hopped around on every finger.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024
Lennie James hopped over from the main Walking Dead into Fear starting with its fourth season, headlining the show all the way until his somewhat sudden departure midway into the final year.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
After he was completely immersed, Parkinson pulled himself to a rock before balancing his feet and hopping to another rock that was further away from the ocean.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
Catch the views on winding roads before hopping out to take pictures and embark on some light hiking here and there to fill your day with plenty of new memories.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
And it’s been long overdue, to rebalance the landscape of hip hop in general.
—Rose Eden, SPIN, 5 Apr. 2024
Interest in the plane’s location piqued Monday after federal agents raided Miami and Los Angeles homes belonging to the hip hop/pop music star.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
The Lent season is coming to a close, which means Easter is just a skip and a hop away.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Mar. 2024
Spring Egg Hunt: Free event featuring an egg hunt, egg decorating, egg relay races, a bunny hop and outdoor games from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 30 at Skyline Hills Recreation Center, 8285 Skyline Drive.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024
However, Ice Cube – a legendary Generation X rapper, hip hop icon and actor – posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that included a story from TMZ, which reports the offer to Clark is $5 million.
—Jill Martin, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Beans, grains, hops, asparagus, and all manner of produce grown here finds its way onto the menus of the Windy City’s best restaurants.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 21 Mar. 2024
On a crisp afternoon in late January, Biden and the First Lady boarded Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, for a short hop to Manassas, Virginia, where George Mason University has a campus.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
To be safe, park at the Park & Ride lot and hop on the free summer shuttle to the trailhead.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Some lay down for a minute before hopping up to give the next person a glimpse.
—K.c. Alfred, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Poodle Moth got the last of the warm water and hopped in the shower at the end of the night.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Osaka wanted to hop on the ramen trend that bled over to Colorado from New York early and has quickly won over Denverites with steaming bowls of tonkotsu and spicy miso.
—Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Her nails were shaped into soft squares and painted in a typical French style, but instead of simple bright white tips, teeny tiny bugs fluttered and hopped around on every finger.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024
Lennie James hopped over from the main Walking Dead into Fear starting with its fourth season, headlining the show all the way until his somewhat sudden departure midway into the final year.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
After he was completely immersed, Parkinson pulled himself to a rock before balancing his feet and hopping to another rock that was further away from the ocean.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
Catch the views on winding roads before hopping out to take pictures and embark on some light hiking here and there to fill your day with plenty of new memories.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
But electric planes could prove a game changer for quicker hops within Scandinavia.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
And it’s been long overdue, to rebalance the landscape of hip hop in general.
—Rose Eden, SPIN, 5 Apr. 2024
Interest in the plane’s location piqued Monday after federal agents raided Miami and Los Angeles homes belonging to the hip hop/pop music star.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
The Lent season is coming to a close, which means Easter is just a skip and a hop away.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Mar. 2024
Spring Egg Hunt: Free event featuring an egg hunt, egg decorating, egg relay races, a bunny hop and outdoor games from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 30 at Skyline Hills Recreation Center, 8285 Skyline Drive.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024
However, Ice Cube – a legendary Generation X rapper, hip hop icon and actor – posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that included a story from TMZ, which reports the offer to Clark is $5 million.
—Jill Martin, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Beans, grains, hops, asparagus, and all manner of produce grown here finds its way onto the menus of the Windy City’s best restaurants.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 21 Mar. 2024
On a crisp afternoon in late January, Biden and the First Lady boarded Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, for a short hop to Manassas, Virginia, where George Mason University has a campus.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
First Known Use
Verb (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun (1)
1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun (2)
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (2)
1572, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of hop was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing hop
Dictionary Entries Near hop
Cite this Entry
“Hop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hop. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
hop
1 of 4 verb
hopped; hopping
1
: to move by a quick springy leap or series of leaps
especially
: to jump on one foot
2
: to jump over
hop a puddle
3
: to move or get aboard by or as if by hopping
hop a train
hop in the car
4
: to make a quick trip especially by air
hop
2 of 4 noun1
a
: a short brisk leap especially on one leg
2
: dance entry 2 sense 3, ball
the junior hop
3
a
: a flight in an airplane
b
: a short trip
hop
3 of 4 noun1
: a twining vine related to the mulberry and having leaves with lobes and flowers in cone-shaped catkins
2
plural
: the ripe dried catkins of a hop used especially to give a bitter flavor to malt liquors
hop
4 of 4 verb
hopped; hopping
: to flavor with hops
Etymology
Verb
Old English hoppian "to leap, hop"
Noun
Middle English hoppe "the hop vine"; of Dutch origin
Medical Definition
hop
1 of 2 noun1
: 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
HOP
2 of 2 abbreviation
high oxygen pressure
More from Merriam-Webster on hop
Nglish: Translation of hop for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hop for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hop
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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