fop
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fop
1400–50; late Middle English foppe, fop; akin to fob 2
Explanation
If you know someone who's obsessed with how he looks and what he's wearing, you can call him a fop. If you're a fop, you make sure you're always well dressed. A fop spends hours grooming himself in front of the mirror and spends a lot of money on nice clothes. You might also call him a "dandy" or a "clotheshorse." The word fop meant "foolish person" in the mid-1600s and was probably related to the now-obsolete verb of the same name, meaning "make a fool of." By 1670, a fop was a fool who was focused specifically on his clothing.
Vocabulary lists containing fop
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Shakespeare Stealer
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Americanah
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It led to him being described as a "red-socked fop" by Labour's former deputy prime minister John Prescott.
From BBC • Jul. 28, 2022
The Big 12 was next with four teams, though it marked the second straight week the league didn't have at least one team in the fop five.
From Fox News • Feb. 7, 2022
Consider the election of John Quincy Adams, a member of the early American aristocracy, scion of the nation’s founding family, a Harvard-educated fop who saw no reason not to use his prissy middle name.
From Washington Post • Apr. 18, 2017
Mary seems like a promising foil initially, resenting her husband’s new friends and flirting with a fop, so he divorces her.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2017
Wasn’t he really a snob, and a fop, and frivolous on serious occasions, as she had once told him during a quarrel?
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
