bop

¹ American  

[bop] / bɒp /

noun

1. Also called bebop. early modern jazz developed in the early 1940s and characterized by often dissonant triadic and chromatic chords, fast tempos and eccentric rhythms, intricate melodic lines punctuated by pop-tune phrases, and emphasizing the inventiveness of soloists.

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verb (used without object)

bopped, bopping

1. Slang. to move, go, or proceed (often followed byon down ).

   Let's bop on down to the party.

bop ² American  

[bop] / bɒp /

verb (used with object)

bopped, bopping

1. to strike, as with the fist or a stick; hit.

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noun

1. a blow.

bop ¹ British  

/ bɒp /

noun

1. Originally called: bebop. a form of jazz originating in the 1940s, characterized by rhythmic and harmonic complexity and instrumental virtuosity

2. informal a session of dancing to pop music

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verb

1. informal (intr) to dance to pop music

bop ² British  

/ bɒp /

verb

1. (tr) to strike; hit

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noun

1. a blow

Other Word Forms

• bopper
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of bop¹

1945–50, (be)bop

Origin of bop²

First recorded in 1935–40; variant of bob ³

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Explanation

If you bop your little brother, you hit him lightly. If you do this, he's probably going to bop you right back. The origin of the word bop is imitative: bop sounds like the noise your hand makes when you bop someone or something. You can also use bop to mean bebop, the fast-tempo jazz that became popular in the 1940s, after the swing era. The word comes from the jazz tradition of singing nonsense words like bebop and rebop.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bop bopped bopping

The company says its "companion-centric" device can interpret human gestures and bop to musical rhythms, as well as take selfies and steady videos.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Carpenter closed, as she always does, with “Espresso,” and if you’d assumed that by now this breezy electro-pop bop would inevitably have lost some of its fizz, think again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2025

Children giggle and run as kilikis with soft foam truncheons bop them if they get too close.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

It’s scary, having a bot bop around the web for me, and there are real risks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

His shoulders are always back, and he has this bop that I know he must've practiced for years to perfect.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

In a sparkly gold dress, the 20-year-old floated above the pressure, bopped along to the music of Donna Summer and glided her way to stardom—and the top of the podium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

Szabolcs Csépe, from Budapest, bopped to over 3000 songs and burned more than 22,000 calories in his quest to romp into the record books.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025

For years, Justine Lupe bopped back and forth between Los Angeles and New York.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2024

He did a nine-month tour in Afghanistan before leaving the Army, then bopped between a few jobs before returning to the familiarity of working with his dad.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

I bopped down the magazine aisle toward the back of the store, where the chips were.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

The band’s joyful energy was more suitable for bopping than brooding, and Mr. Casablancas’s detached and distorted delivery is distant from grunge’s anguished growls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

When chants of “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA” broke out, one agent started beating his hands to the rhythm and bopping his head.

From Slate ● May 29, 2026

What did teen girls bopping to “Modern Love” know about any of that?

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026

Hundreds of high school recruits and former players milled about on the field, some bopping to the pulsating music.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2024

He’d turn up the volume, start bopping his head, tapping the steering wheel, and singing along.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

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