hoop
Americannoun
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a circular band or ring of metal, wood, or other stiff material.
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such a band for holding together the staves of a cask, tub, etc.
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a large ring of iron, wood, plastic, etc., used as a plaything for a child to roll along the ground.
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a circular or ringlike object, part, figure, etc.
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Jewelry. the shank of a finger ring.
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Croquet. a wicket.
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a circular band of stiff material used to expand and display a woman's skirt.
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Basketball Informal.
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the metal ring from which the net is suspended; rim.
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the metal ring and net taken together; the basket.
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the game of basketball.
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a decorative band, as around a mug or cup.
verb (used with object)
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to bind or fasten with or as if with a hoop or hoops.
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to encircle; surround.
noun
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a rigid circular band of metal or wood
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something resembling this
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a band of iron that holds the staves of a barrel or cask together
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( as modifier )
hoop iron
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a child's toy shaped like a hoop and rolled on the ground or whirled around the body
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croquet any of the iron arches through which the ball is driven
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a light curved frame to spread out a skirt
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( as modifier )
a hoop skirt
a hoop petticoat
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basketball the round metal frame to which the net is attached to form the basket
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a large ring through which performers or animals jump
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jewellery
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an earring consisting of one or more circles of metal, plastic, etc
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the part of a finger ring through which the finger fits
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informal a jockey
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to be subjected to an ordeal
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hoopsimple
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hoopssimple
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have hoopedperfect
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has hoopedperfect
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am hoopingprogressive
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are hoopingprogressive
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is hoopingprogressive
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have been hoopingperfect progressive
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has been hoopingperfect progressive
Past
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hoopedsimple
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had hoopedperfect
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was hoopingprogressive
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were hoopingprogressive
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had been hoopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hoop
1125–75; Middle English hope, hoop, late Old English hōp; cognate with Dutch hoep
Explanation
A hoop is a ring or circle made of some stiff material. Gardeners use hoops to support plants, and many people wear hoops around their wrists as bracelets. You can try to toss a basketball through a hoop, wear gold hoops as earrings, or sport an old fashioned hoop skirt, a flexible band that widens a petticoat and the skirt covering it. You can also rotate and spin a hula hoop around your body for fun. If your boss makes you "jump through hoops" at work, it means she requires you to complete difficult, possibly unnecessary, tasks.
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.
She reminisced about date nights spent on ferris wheels, and dreamt of raising kids in a house with "a driveway with a basketball hoop".
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
Hilton then revealed there is even a basketball hoop inside the “doggy mansion,” as her son joined his sister in claiming the home for his own, stating: “This is my house, too.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
"All anyone needs to play basketball is a ball and a hoop, a surface that you can dribble on, and New York City has an awful lot of that kind of space," she said.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
The theatrical Mary may be good for laughs, but other than the hoop skirt and pipe curls, she bears no resemblance to the real Mary, whose life was crowded with tragedy, misfortune and misinterpretation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
And there is the guy with shaggy hair shooting a basketball into a hoop.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
