pop

noun

1

: a sharp explosive sound

2

: a shot from a gun

3

: soda pop

4

: pop fly

5

: power to hit a baseball hard

a hitter with some pop in his bat

6

: a drink or shot of alcohol

7

: a small portion of something that makes a vivid impression

… clean lines … set off by bright pops of color …

—Catherine Piercy

see also:

take a pop

Phrases

a pop

1

: for each one : apiece

tickets at $10 a pop

2

: for each attempt

rushed for an average of five yards a pop

Synonyms of pop

• bang
• boom
• clap
• blast
• crack
• slam

Examples of pop in a Sentence

the soda can opened with a sharp pop

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pop

• alternative pop
• alt-pop
• cake pop
• come/pop into one's head
• eyes pop out of one's head
• ice pop
• K-pop
• mom-and-pop
• pop art
• pop eye
• pop fly
• pop off
• pop on
• pop open
• pop out
• pop pills
• pop quiz
• pop the cork
• pop the question
• pop-top
• pop-up
• skin-pop
• soda pop
• take a pop
• take a pop at
• techno-pop

Rhymes for pop

• bop
• chop
• cop
• crop
• drop
• flop
• fop
• hop
• knop
• lop
• mop
• op

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

Kids Definition

pop

1 of 6 verb

ˈpäp 

popped; popping

1

: to burst or cause to burst with a pop

the balloon popped

we popped corn

2

: to go, come, push, or enter quickly or suddenly

pop into bed

popped a grape into my mouth

3

: to shoot with a gun

4

: to bulge from the sockets

eyes popping with surprise

5

: to hit a pop fly

pop

2 of 6 noun

1

: a sharp explosive sound

2

: a shot from a gun

3

: a flavored carbonated beverage

pop

3 of 6 adverb

: like or with a pop : suddenly

pop

4 of 6 noun

: father entry 1 sense 1a

pop

5 of 6 adjective

1

a

: popular sense 2

pop music

b

: of or relating to pop music

a pop singer

2

: of, relating to, or being the behavior and interests of average people and especially young people

pop

6 of 6 noun

: popular music

listens to pop

Etymology

Middle English poppen "to hit, burst open"; a word created to imitate the sound made when something bursts open

a shortened form of poppa, an altered form of papa

a shortened form of popular