lollipop

American  

[lol-ee-pop] / ˈlɒl iˌpɒp /

Or lollypop

noun

1. a piece of hard candy attached to the end of a small stick that is held in the hand while the candy is licked.

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lollipop British  

/ ˈlɒlɪˌpɒp /

noun

1. a boiled sweet or toffee stuck on a small wooden stick

2. another word for ice lolly

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Etymology

Origin of lollipop

1785–95; dial. lolly tongue + pop ¹

Explanation

A lollipop is hard candy on a stick that you lick or suck. You may suck on a lollipop and be surprised to find candy or gum in its center. Bonus! Some lollipops are small, round, and fruity, while others are swirls of color as big as your head. Still other lollipops are long and skinny, or filled with liquid or bubble gum centers. The thing they all have in common is the stick you hold while eating them. Guesses about the origin of the lolli or lolly part of this word include to loll, or "dangle" the tongue, or the north England dialect "tongue" meaning of lolly.

Example Sentences

Manchester-born Sterling is nominated for Lollipop, in which she plays a single mum who emerges from prison only to find herself battling her own mother for custody of her children.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

So Christopher acquires a bar called the Lollipop Lounge through a person who owes the family a debt.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2024

Lollipop blooms in a range of pink or white are borne on slender stems held above tufts of dark-green grassy foliage; the cultivar ‘Rubrifolia’ is especially beautiful, with dark burgundy foliage and deep pink blooms.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 27, 2022

The new update is rolling out to all Shield set-top boxes, including the original model from 2015 — which originally ran Android 5.0 Lollipop when it first launched.

From The Verge • Jan. 12, 2022

It’s like they’ve been rapping back and forth like this their whole lives and have their own special Bengal Tiger to Lollipop Morse code.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson