Jump To:

• pop
  pop

  verb (used without object)

  to make a short, quick, explosive sound.
• POP
  POP

  abbreviation

  proof-of-purchase.
• pop.
  pop.

  abbreviation

  popular.
• p.o.p.
  p.o.p.

  abbreviation

  point-of-purchase.
• P.O.P.
  P.O.P.

  abbreviation

  printout paper.

pop

¹ American  

[pop] / pɒp /

verb (used without object)

• pops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• popped,
  past participle,  past
• popping
  present participle

1. to make a short, quick, explosive sound.

   The cork popped.

2. to burst open with such a sound, as chestnuts or corn in roasting.

3. to come or go quickly, suddenly, or unexpectedly.

   She popped into the kitchen to check the stove.

   Synonyms:

   burst, appear

4. to protrude from the sockets.

   The news made her eyes pop.

5. Baseball.

   1. to hit a pop fly (often followed byup ).

   2. to pop out.

6. Informal. to be bright or prominent, especially as against something less distinctive.

   I love how the colors pop against the neutral walls.

7. to shoot with a firearm.

   to pop at a mark.

---

verb (used with object)

• pops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• popped,
  past participle,  past
• popping
  present participle

1. to cause to make a sudden, explosive sound.

2. to cause to burst open with such a sound.

3. to open suddenly or violently.

   to pop the hood on a car; to pop the tab on a beer can.

4. to put or thrust quickly, suddenly, or unexpectedly.

   He popped the muffins into the oven.

5. Informal. to cause to fire; discharge.

   He popped his rifle at the bird.

6. to shoot (usually followed by at, off, etc.).

   He popped off bottles with a slingshot.

7. British Slang. to pawn.

8. Informal.

   1. to take or swallow (pills), especially in excess or habitually; take orally in a compulsive or addictive way.

      Popping all those pills will land him in the hospital.

   2. to eat in a continual or thoughtless manner, as snack foods.

      popping peanuts at the movies.

noun

1. a short, quick, explosive sound.

2. a popping.

3. a shot with a firearm.

4. Informal. soda pop.

5. a drink or portion of an alcoholic beverage, as a drink of whiskey or a glass of beer.

   We had a couple of pops on the way home.

6. Baseball. pop fly.

7. Informal. a bright or prominent burst of something.

   Citrus can add a pop of flavor.

adverb

1. with an explosive sound.

   The balloon went pop.

2. quickly, suddenly, or unexpectedly.

   Pop, the door flew open!

adjective

1. Informal. unexpected; without prior warning or announcement.

   The teacher gave us a pop quiz.

verb phrase

1. pop out to be put out by hitting a pop fly caught on the fly by a player on the opposing team.

2. pop in. see pop-in.

3. pop for to pay or buy for oneself or another, especially as a gift or treat; spring for.

   I'll pop for the first round of drinks.

4. pop up to hit a pop fly.

5. pop off

   1. to die, especially suddenly.

   2. to depart, especially abruptly.

   3. to express oneself volubly or excitedly and sometimes irately or indiscreetly.

      He popped off about the injustice of the verdict.

idioms

1. a pop, each; apiece.

   five orchids at $30 a pop.

2. pop the question, to propose marriage.

   They dated for two years before he popped the question.

pop ² American  

[pop] / pɒp /

adjective

1. of or relating to songs that are produced for and popular with mass audiences.

   She studied classical music in school, but found a career writing pop songs.

2. being or relating to a broad genre of music characterized by being highly accessible and commercial, frequently changing sound according to what musical styles are trendy, and often having repetitive lyrics and simple rhythms that are easy to dance to.

   She was originally a country singer, but her music has gradually swung toward a more pop sound.

3. of or relating to pop art.

4. reflecting or aimed at the tastes of the general public.

   pop culture;

   pop novels;

   pop psychology.

---

noun

1. music that is produced for and popular with mass audiences.

   It's the first time she's sung pop, as she usually performs opera.

2. a broad genre of music characterized by being highly accessible and commercial, frequently changing sound according to what musical styles are trendy, and often having repetitive lyrics and simple rhythms that are easy to dance to (often used in combination).

   The album's instrumentation mixes the sounds of soul, R&B, and pop.

   Here's our list of the top pop rock albums of the year.

3. pop art.

pop ³ American  

[pop] / pɒp /

Also pops

noun

Informal.

1. father.

---

pop ⁴ American  

[pop] / pɒp /

noun

1. a frozen ice or ice-cream confection on a stick.

   Two lemon pops, please.

---

POP ⁵ American  

[pee-oh-pee, pop] / ˈpiˈoʊˈpi, pɒp /

abbreviation

1. proof-of-purchase.

2. Computers. Post Office Protocol.

---

pop. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. popular.

2. popularly.

3. population.

---

p.o.p. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. point-of-purchase.

---

P.O.P. ⁸ American  

abbreviation

1. printout paper.

2. point-of-purchase.

---

pop ¹ British  

/ pɒp /

verb

1. to make or cause to make a light sharp explosive sound

2. to burst open or cause to burst open with such a sound

3. informal (intr; often foll by in, out, etc) to come (to) or go (from) rapidly or suddenly; to pay a brief or unexpected visit (to)

4. (intr) (esp of the eyes) to protrude

   her eyes popped with amazement

5. to shoot or fire at (a target) with a firearm

6. (tr) to place or put with a sudden movement

   she popped some tablets into her mouth

7. informal (tr) to pawn

   he popped his watch yesterday

8. slang (tr) to take (a drug) in pill form or as an injection

   pill popping

9. See clog 1

10. informal to propose marriage

---

noun

1. a light sharp explosive sound; crack

2. informal a flavoured nonalcoholic carbonated beverage

3. informal a try; attempt

   have a pop at goal

4. informal an instance of criticism

   Townsend has had a pop at modern bands

5. informal each

   30 million shares at 7 dollars a pop

adverb

1. with a popping sound

interjection

1. an exclamation denoting a sharp explosive sound

pop ² British  

/ pɒp /

noun

1. 1. music of general appeal, esp among young people, that originated as a distinctive genre in the 1950s. It is generally characterized by a strong rhythmic element and the use of electrical amplification

   2. ( as modifier )

      pop music

      a pop record

      a pop group

2. informal a piece of popular or light classical music

---

adjective

1. informal short for popular

POP ³ British  

abbreviation

1. point of presence: a device that enables access to the internet

2. internet post office protocol: a protocol which brings e-mail to and from a mail server

3. Post Office Preferred (size of envelopes, etc)

4. persistent organic pollutant

---

pop. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. popular

2. popularly

3. population

---

pop ⁵ British  

/ pɒp /

noun

1. an informal word for father

2. informal a name used in addressing an old or middle-aged man

---

Regionalisms

See soda pop .

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• popping
  present
• popped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pop
  simple
• pops
  simple
• have popped
  perfect
• has popped
  perfect
• am popping
  progressive
• are popping
  progressive
• is popping
  progressive
• have been popping
  perfect progressive
• has been popping
  perfect progressive

Past

• popped
  simple
• had popped
  perfect
• was popping
  progressive
• were popping
  progressive
• had been popping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pop
  simple
• will have popped
  perfect
• will be popping
  progressive
• will have been popping
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of pop¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English verb poppen “to strike”; of expressive origin

Origin of pop²

First recorded in 1860–65; shortening of popular

Origin of pop³

First recorded in 1820–30; short form of poppa

Origin of pop⁴

Probably shortening of Popsicle

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pop POP pop. P.O.P. pops popped popping

There’s an atemporal quality to Guitarrica’s music, at once vibrant and youthful, of its moment with pop hooks but simultaneously pulling from the traditional sounds of flamenco and rumba.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

In the city of Dongguan workers on the floor of the Mihox factory pop plastic toys out of steel moulds, and pile them into crates ready for painting.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

As presented here, “My Aim Is True” is every bit as explosive and exciting as the original release, an album that featured a clever blend of punk, rockabilly, pop and new wave sounds.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026

Bubbles pop from the inside, when the last buyer runs out of money.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

“Around here, October is the best month for powwows,” Ethan continued, taking a sip of his pop.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Santa Monica has seen amusement parks come and go over more than 120 years, but POP is of fairly recent and fond memory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2025

Figures suggest there were 127,000 mesh implants to treat incontinence and POP between April 2008 and March 2017, but campaigners believe the actual number is higher.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2024

Previous studies have shown that some Pacific orca populations can carry POP loads in their blubber that pose potential health risks, including reduced immunity, hormonal imbalances and reproductive issues.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2023

Research has also shown that people can accurately self-screen for contraindications to POPs and make the correct decision about whether or not a POP is safe and appropriate for them to use.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2023

We are about to head out of Tío Pepe’s house when we hear a loud POP.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

Forest Hills, pop. 6,500, is proud of its Westinghouse heritage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025

“As you can tell, the horns were very pop. But we were at that point in our career where we wanted to bring everything back that was analog.”

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

“I felt the pop. I heard the pop. I didn’t know how serious it was.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2023

“I knew it was bad. I felt a pop. And then I went to the training room and I was extremely frustrated. I didn’t know how serious it was, but I knew something was wrong.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2022

“When are you going to give it up? It’s too pop. We aren’t that type of band.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Préparation Olympique et Paralympique, the French agency known as P.O.P., came about in 2005 after Paris lost its bid for the 2012 Games to London.

From New York Times ● Jul. 23, 2012

To achieve this, P.O.P. and displays are kept low for clean sight lines.

From Time Magazine Archive

Panelists suggested including examples of diversity and minorities in P.O.P.,

From Time Magazine Archive

Revolution resembles the boardsports mega-stores of Southern California, complete with elaborate company buildouts, fancy P.O.P., and a dense concentration of merchandise on the floor.

From Time Magazine Archive

We wouldn't be at all surprised to see more manufacturers working on enhanced P.O.P. and working to create dedicated zones of their own inside dealerships.

From Time Magazine Archive

Manifestation doesn’t mean something we want pops out of thin air just because we think about it; it means hard work and relentless effort.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

In a world where a song can set chart records in part because no one minds when it pops up on streaming, it’s fun to engage with music that needs time to sink in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Autumn leaves bring pops of colour to its stately buildings, which are set against the backdrop of the rolling hills of upstate New York.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Johnson’s Jake is particularly prone to changing his mind within a scene, practically letting us see the moments when his brain pops out of his body to bash itself against the nearest wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

But instead of the resistance I’d expected, the plastic dome pops off immediately.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

That bubble popped in early 2000, leading to an eight-month recession in 2001 and a three-year bear market.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Shohei Ohtani came up with two on and popped up a high cutter on a full count.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

They’ve popped up in barns and on farms, in strip malls between an antique shop and an ax-throwing business and in churches, where lighting and sound for worship services is part of the curriculum.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

But Leicester hit back when hooker Samiuela Moli launched himself over at the back of a driving maul and Billy Searle popped over the conversion to give Tigers a slender advantage.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

He stepped backward, hoping to retreat before she knew he was here, but the board under his foot popped.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Having cautioned last year about the prospect of froth in AI, Dalio has turned up the volume this year and begun to speak of the set-up as a bubble at risk of popping.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026

“If you knock out a few sets of pull-ups or biceps curls, you see your muscles popping in a way that is much harder to achieve if you squat.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

He started popping algebra questions into the search bar to quickly finish off his daily schoolwork.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Then we tumble into the realm of inspirational gurus and thought leaders, where breathwork and manifesting meet motivational speak, popping with familiar verbal kernels like “sparking joy” and “habit formation.”

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

“I suspect the gators are all riding out the storm on the bottom. The bus probably jarred one loose and it was popping up to get some air.”

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• appear
• bang
• blow
• crack
• dart
• explode
• hit
• insert
• jump
• leap
• put
• shove
• snap
• stick
• thrust

---