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
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
On a scorching June day, children run and jump into the ocean and hop back out to cool down and stave off their feelings of thirst.—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 June 2024 The cartel members hopped into their truck and ours, started to drive off, then suddenly stopped.—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 5 June 2024
Noun
Over the years, first as an artist delving into hip hop and later as the titular actor on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 28 May 2024 And because no taproom can exist without a bucketload of hops these days, Match Point pours IPAs like Gilman Brewing’s Bad Tattoo and Epidemic Ales’ Pineapple Upside Down Cake.—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 24 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for hop
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
: 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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