hoop

play

noun, often attributive \ ˈhüp also ˈhu̇p \

Definition of hoop

1 :a circular strip used especially for holding together the staves of containers or as a plaything

2 a :a circular figure or object :ring

b :the rim of a basketball goal; broadly :the entire goal

3 :a circle or series of circles of flexible material used to expand a woman's skirt

4 :basketball —usually used in plural

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hooplike

play \ˈhüp-ˌlīk also ˈhu̇p\ adjective

See hoop defined for English-language learners

See hoop defined for kids

Examples of hoop in a Sentence

made Christmas garlands from hoops of red and green construction paper

Recent Examples of hoop from the Web

Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson earlier this week urged basketball programs across the nation to join in his relief effort for Hurricane Harvey, and New Albany hoops is the latest to meet his request.

— kyle williams, The Courier-Journal, "New Albany hoops joins in Hurricane Harvey relief effort," 30 Aug. 2017
And this week, Durant appeared on the the Ringer’s Bill Simmons’ podcast to talk hoops.

— sean quinton, The Seattle Times, "If and when the Sonics return to Seattle, could Kevin Durant come back, too?," 29 Aug. 2017
Lindsay, who wore a high ponytail, hoop earrings, and a black jumpsuit that exposed her lace bra for the outing, has made headlines with Scott before.

— peggy truong, Cosmopolitan, "Oh Look, Scott Disick and Canadian Model Lindsay Vrckovnik Went Clubbing Together," 17 Aug. 2017
The Venezuelan strongman has run through nearly all the hoops of consolidating power by way of force and fraud, ignoring the international community’s warnings that his power grab will pave the way to more chaos and economic collapse.

— fabiola santiago, miamiherald, "Despite U.S. label of ‘dictator,’ Nicolás Maduro digs in deeper in Venezuela," 1 Aug. 2017
The customer simply scans a code on the locker with their smartphone camera to unlock the cubby and is charged about 15 cents an hour while shooting hoops, on top of a $10 deposit.

— sebastian modak, CNT, "The Most Surprising Players in the Sharing Economy," 20 July 2017
Other factors considered were the number of dog parks, playgrounds, and basketball hoops per a certain number of residents.

— valeria merino, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville continues to rank low for park accessibility," 13 July 2017
The makeover is an All Star Legacy project, which also includes a spanking new center/game room for teens, complete with mini hoops court, desktop computers and an air hockey table.

— miamiherald, "ARod, Giancarlo Stanton team up before the big game," 11 July 2017
Would any Ville hoops fan feel any less joy/satisfaction if the school’s 2013 title were stripped?

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Replay should never get it wrong," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hoop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hoop

Middle English, from Old English hōp; akin to Middle Dutch hoep ring, hoop

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

See Words from the same year

hoop Synonyms

Synonyms

band, circle, eye, ¹ring, loop, round

Related Words

belt, cincture, collar, girdle; wreath; annulet, becket, coil, curl, furl, hank, spiral, spire, twirl, whorl

hoop

verb

Definition of hoop

transitive verb

:to bind or fasten with or as if with a hoop

—

hooper

noun

Recent Examples of hoop from the Web

In Columbia, crowds hooped and hollered when the sky went dark, as confused crickets and cicadas began chirping and street lights flickered on.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Traffic wasn’t bad as expected for the eclipse, but who knew it would draw sharks?," 21 Aug. 2017
There’s pretty much nothing to do up here but to hoop or get in trouble.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "SDSU gets another hoops commit: Jordan Campbell," 15 Aug. 2017
After wearing the Z02’s the first two games of Summer League, Ball hooped in the Nike A.D., Adidas Harden Vol. 1 lifestyle model, Under Armour Curry 4 and the Air Jordan XXX1 low to finish off Summer League.

— jarrel harris, SI.com, "Which Sneaker Company Should Sign Lonzo Ball?," 26 July 2017
The American Council on Exercise reports that an hour of hooping can burn over 400 calories — although the calorie-burn from hooping may be as high as 600 calories per hour when other parts of your body, such as your arms and legs, are engaged.

— kirby adams, USA TODAY, "This is not your mother's hula hoop," 24 June 2017
Brandon Jennings Good on Brandon and Smush (Fordham legend) for getting out there and hooping with the people.

— kenny ducey, SI.com, "NBA Social Rankings: Joel Embiid Owns The NBA Draft Lottery," 20 May 2017
There also will be food, music, vendors and additional classes and workshops in areas such as aerial yoga, acro-yoga, hooping, walking meditation, photography and essential oils. wanderlust.com/108s.

— dan kelly, kansascity.com, "KC events May 18-24: Kansas City T-Bones, Union Cemetery voices, Naked Magicians," 16 May 2017
RELATED: The Super All-State girls hoops team Hose is only the second Hazel Green girls basketball player to commit to an SEC team, according to the school.

— daniel boyette | dboyette@al.com, AL.com, "Hazel Green 2018 guard Caitlin Hose commits to Georgia," 11 May 2017
RELATED: The Super All-State girls hoops team Hose is only the second Hazel Green girls basketball player to commit to an SEC team, according to the school.

— daniel boyette | dboyette@al.com, AL.com, "Hazel Green 2018 guard Caitlin Hose commits to Georgia," 11 May 2017

First Known Use of hoop

15th century

HOOP Defined for English Language Learners

hoop

play

noun

Definition of hoop for English Language Learners

: a circular object : a large ring
: a large metal ring used for holding together the sides of a barrel
: a large ring used by performers or for play

HOOP Defined for Kids

hoop

play

noun \ ˈhu̇p , ˈhüp \

Definition of hoop for Students

1 :a circular figure or object

an embroidery hoop

2 :a circular band used for holding together the strips that make up the sides of a barrel or tub

3 :a circle or series of circles of flexible material (as wire) used for holding a woman's skirt out from the body

Learn More about hoop

See words that rhyme with hoop Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hoop Spanish Central: Translation of hoop Nglish: Translation of hoop for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hoop for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hoop

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hoop

Definition of hoop

hooper

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HOOP Defined for English Language Learners

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