pop-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈpäp-ˌəp 

1

: pop fly

2

: a component or device that pops up

3

: a pop-up book

4

: a pop-up window on a computer screen

pop-up

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or having a component or device that pops up

a pop-up book

2

: appearing suddenly: such as

a

computing : appearing suddenly on a screen over another window or display

a pop-up window

a pop-up ad

b

of a business : set up quickly for short-term operation in a temporary location

pop-up stores/shops

pop-up retail

The front lawn of nearly every home becomes either a parking lot or a pop-up market, perfect for hungry, thirsty fans held captive by the … lines of traffic.

—Juliet Macur

c

meteorology : appearing or developing quickly in isolation rather than as part of a line or grouping of storms

By Thursday you should be able to go coast to coast and see only pop-up thunderstorms …

—Paul Clark

Late summer is prime time for "pop-up" thunderstorms: storms born of hot, moist air that occur without regard to frontal activity or other large weather disturbances that are more easily understood.

—The Journal & Courier (Lafayette, Indiana)

Examples of pop-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Houseplant pop-up will be open from Oct. 17 through Oct. 19 at 131 Greene Street in Lower Manhattan. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2025

Danny DeVito and his daughter Lucy (left) attend the Go Campaign Gala honoring Wrexham Foundation in Beverly Hills, California, on Oct. 17. Khloé Kardashian is seen exiting her sister Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics pop-up event in West Hollywood in a dazzling head-to-toe look on Oct. 17. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Thousands of fans packed into the Callao plaza in the city center for the pop-up event, which include a 90-minute TikTok stream chronicling the singer’s prep and arrival. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2025

Dave's Hot Chicken started as a pop-up more than a half-dozen years ago when a group of a few friends gathered up $900, a fryer and set up in an East Hollywood parking lot. —Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pop-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

pop-up

1 of 2 noun

ˈpäp-ˌəp

1

: pop fly

2

: a pop-up window on a computer screen

pop-up

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or having a part or device that pops up

a pop-up book

2

: appearing suddenly on a computer screen

a pop-up window