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

Etymology

Origin of bop¹

1945–50, (be)bop

Origin of bop²

First recorded in 1935–40; variant of bob ³

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 curvilinear bop of a good and expertly undulating narrative lede.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

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

He even includes a track “For Fans” that is, as advertised, the most pop-friendly bop across the 37-minute runtime.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

Many fans discovered her via the track “new friends,” an honest and lighthearted bop about not wanting to be friends with an ex.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

I’d follow behind, watching her black driving cap bop up and down to her music.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

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

Deborah bopped from the cafeteria to another schoolroom, where another precinct was sharing the space.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 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

He bopped Mutto again with the muskrat carcass, chased him once around the table and out of the kitchen.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

Behold the swaggy celebrity fans like Timothée Chalamet, the $10,000 nosebleed seats, the President of the United States bopping north to catch Monday’s Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

I travel a fair amount, and after I graduated from college, I spent months bopping around various European cities before landing in Amsterdam a couple of years ago.

From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2026

It’s the uniform of Echevarria’s youth on the East Coast, bopping between the suburbs and Manhattan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2024

I like to think of this as the "Little Bunny Foo Foo" method, because it's like you’re scooping up all the people and bopping them on the head.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2024

Afros bopping, arms swinging, and feet stepping and spinning in sync.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia