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

Party City also faced lots of competition – from e-commerce sites, pop-up concepts like Spirit Halloween and big-box retailers like Walmart and Target. —Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 30 Dec. 2025

This time, it's outdone itself, building a hybrid roof tent/pop-up camper specially for the Tesla Model 3 and then evolving it into a more practical micro-camping trailer for any vehicle. —New Atlas, 30 Dec. 2025

Adjective

The summertime hangout has been full of people this winter visiting the Dream Glow Festival, a pop-up immersion event at the waterpark that closes out its run this weekend. —Heather McRea, Oc Register, 7 Jan. 2026

Founded as a pop-up, the restaurant moved into a 55-seat space on Sunnyvale’s Murphy Avenue before adding a flagship location in Palo Alto that seats 175 and also hosts jazz concerts. —Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026

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