pop

1 of 8

verb

ˈpäp 

popped; popping; pops

transitive verb

1

: to strike or knock sharply : hit

popped him in the jaw

2

: to push, put, or thrust suddenly or briefly

pops a grape into his mouth

She popped her head in the door.

Pop the pastry in the oven for ten minutes.

3

: to cause to explode or burst open

popped some popcorn

pop the trunk

4

: to fire at : shoot

5

: to take (pills) especially frequently or habitually

6

: to open with a pop

pop a cold beer

7

: to flip (something) into an upturned position

pop a collar

intransitive verb

1

a

: to go, come, or appear suddenly

images popping up on the screen

New businesses are popping up all over town.

((figurative)) We were discussing candidates for the job, and your name popped up.

She popped in for a visit.

We're going to pop next door for a minute.

The idea just popped into my head.

The chipmunk popped out of its burrow.

: to move suddenly from one position or state to another

Her eyes popped open.

When I heard the siren, I popped straight up in bed.

b

: to escape or break away from something (such as a point of attachment) usually suddenly or unexpectedly

The lid keeps popping off of the container.

A couple of screws popped loose.

The instant I felt the front tires lurch forward, I applied some throttle and the truck popped free.

—Slaton L. White

c

: to be or become striking or prominent

colors that pop

… a mild sauce punctuated with tiny dried shrimp that pop with salinity.

—John Kessler

2

: to make or burst with a sharp sound

a balloon popped

3

: to protrude or seem to protrude from the sockets : to open very wide

eyes popping with amazement

4

: to shoot with a firearm

5

: to hit a pop fly

—often used with up or out

pop

2 of 8

noun (1)

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

pop

3 of 8

adverb

: like or with a pop : suddenly

—often used interjectionally

pop

4 of 8

noun (2)

: father

pop

5 of 8

adjective

1

: popular

pop music

: such as

a

: of or relating to popular music

pop singer

b

: of or relating to the popular culture disseminated through the mass media

pop psychology

pop grammarians

pop society

2

a

: of or relating to pop art

pop painter

b

: having, using, or imitating themes or techniques characteristic of pop art

pop movie

pop

6 of 8

noun (3)

1

a

: popular music

b

pops plural : an orchestra that plays light classical and popular music

went to hear the Boston Pops

also : light classical and popular music played typically by an orchestra

a summer pops concert

2

: pop art

3

: pop culture

pop

7 of 8

abbreviation (1)

population

POP

8 of 8

abbreviation (2)

point of purchase

Phrases

pop the question

: to propose marriage

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

Verb

• explode
• detonate
• blow
• burst

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

• dad
• father
• daddy

Adjective

• fashionable
• popular
• favorite
• popularized

Examples of pop in a Sentence

Verb

We heard the sound of corks popping as the celebration began.

One of the buttons popped off my sweater.

Guns were popping in the distance.

We popped some popcorn in the microwave.

The popcorn is done popping.

I didn't mean to say that—it just popped out.

Her shoulder popped out of its socket.

He opened the box, and out popped a mouse.

If you are busy, I can pop back in later.

My neighbor popped in for a visit.

Noun (1)

the soda can opened with a sharp pop

Noun (2)

ask your pop if he knows where the keys to the shed are

Adjective

interested in the pop fiction that most of the other publishing houses happily churned out

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The beverage industry has truly popped its lid on transformation over the last decade, moving from a space dominated by legacy players like Coca-Cola and Pepsi to one where new entrants are reshaping what consumers’ taste buds expect from their thirst-quenchers. —Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

This uptick helps explain why monthly sales of the pouches more than tripled between 2021 and 2024, even as usage in adults remains low—under 3% report ever popping one in, though that number is higher among folks who currently smoke (11%) or once did (7%). —Erica Sloan, SELF, 1 July 2025

Adverb

In addition, she’s also toured as a guitarist, violinist, and backing vocalist for the Irish singer-songwriter Hozier and as an opener (and touring band member) for the pop-leaning rocker Butch Walker. —Annie Zaleski, Chron, 5 Apr. 2023

Adjective

Newman and a contract orchestra assembled on the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, the pop temple on the old MGM lot where Garland laid down her vocals with composer Herbert Stothart. —Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2025

The sounds emerging from Latin America have also grown increasingly progressive and adventurous, as reggaetón became a natural component of the pop DNA, and a radical generation of young singers and composers reinvented the tenets of música mexicana. —Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025

Noun

In a post to its TikTok account on Thursday, New York City’s Empire State Building shared a video celebrating the pop singer’s birthday. —Stephen Daw, Billboard, 27 June 2025

Times pop music critic Mikael Wood and staff writer August Brown gathered to discuss the box set and what to make of its bounty. —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English poppen, of imitative origin

Noun (2)

short for poppa

Adjective

by shortening

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

circa 1625, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1828, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing pop

• alternative pop
• alt-pop
• a pop
• come/pop into one's head
• eyes pop out of one's head
• 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-top
• pop-up
• skin-pop
• soda 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

Verb

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

Noun

a shortened form of poppa, an altered form of papa

Adjective

a shortened form of popular