hop

¹ American  

[hop] / hɒp /

verb (used without object)

hopped, hopping

1. to make a short, bouncing leap; move by leaping with all feet off the ground.

   Synonyms:

   bound , spring , jump

2. to spring or leap on one foot.

3. Informal.  to make a short, quick trip, especially in an airplane.

   He hopped up to Boston for the day.

4. Informal.  to travel or move frequently from one place or situation to another (usually used in combination).

   to island-hop;

   to job-hop.

5. Older Use: Informal.  to dance.

---

verb (used with object)

hopped, hopping

1. to jump over; clear with a hop.

   The sheep hopped the fence.

2. Informal.  to board or get onto a vehicle.

   to hop a plane.

3. Informal.  to cross in an airplane.

   We hopped the Atlantic in five hours.

noun

1. an act of hopping; short leap.

2. a leap on one foot.

3. a journey, especially a short trip by air.

4. Older Use: Informal.  a dance or dancing party.

5. a bounce or rebound of a moving object, as a ball.

   She caught the ball on the first hop.

idioms

1. hop to it,  to begin to move, become active, or do something immediately: Also hop to.

   You'd better hop to it if you intend to buy groceries before the market closes.

hop ² American  

[hop] / hɒp /

noun

1. any twining plant of the genus Humulus, bearing male flowers in loose clusters and female flowers in conelike forms.

2. hops, the dried ripe cones of the female flowers of this plant, used in brewing, medicine, etc.

3. Older Slang.  a narcotic drug, especially opium.

---

verb (used with object)

hopped, hopping

1. to treat or flavor with hops.

verb phrase

1. hop up

   1. to excite; make enthusiastic.

      They hopped the crowd up with fiery speeches.

   2. to add to the power of.

      The kids hopped up the motor of their jalopy.

   3. to stimulate by narcotics.

hop ¹ British  

/ hɒp /

verb

1. (intr) to make a jump forwards or upwards, esp on one foot

2. (intr) (esp of frogs, birds, rabbits, etc) to move forwards in short jumps

3. (tr) to jump over

   he hopped the hedge

4. informal  (intr) to move or proceed quickly (in, on, out of, etc)

   hop on a bus

5. informal  (tr) to cross (an ocean) in an aircraft

   they hopped the Atlantic in seven hours

6. informal  (tr) to travel by means of (an aircraft, bus, etc)

   he hopped a train to Chicago

7. to bounce or cause to bounce

   he hopped the flat stone over the lake's surface

8. informal  (intr) to begin intense activity, esp work

9. (intr) another word for limp 1

10. slang  to go away

---

noun

1. the act or an instance of hopping

2. old-fashioned  a dance, esp one at which popular music is played

   we're all going to the school hop tonight

3. informal  a trip, esp in an aircraft

4. a bounce, as of a ball

5. informal

   1. active or busy

   2. unawares or unprepared

      the new ruling caught me on the hop

hop ² British  

/ hɒp /

noun

1. any climbing plant of the N temperate genus Humulus, esp H. lupulus, which has green conelike female flowers and clusters of small male flowers: family Cannabiaceae (or Cannabidaceae ) See also hops

2. a field of hops

3. obsolete  opium or any other narcotic drug

---

hop More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing hop

• mad as a hornet (hops)

---

Other Word Forms

• hoppingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of hop¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb hoppen, Old English hoppian; cognate with German hopfen, Old Norse hoppa

Origin of hop²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English hoppe, from Middle Dutch hoppe ( Dutch hop ); cognate with Old High German hopfo ( German Hopfen )

Example Sentences

This is where I hop off the bus.

From The Wall Street Journal

For weeks I hopped on and off trains in different states, and soon realized that my initial assessment was wrong: Something had changed.

From The Wall Street Journal

On the way to Othello they could hop on poor Robinson Crusoe for not saying ‘Mr. Friday’ on the island.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Executives deliberated between a costly refurbishment of the existing office at 25 Bank Street, building on another patch of land in the Wharf or hopping west to the City, London’s historic financial district.

From The Wall Street Journal

Though warn relatives in advance so they can back out of your dry dinner, or bar hop, or plan an after-party on their own later.

From Salon