hoop
Americannoun
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hoops
plural
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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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hoops,
present (3rd person singular)
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hooped,
past participle, past
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hooping
present participle
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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.
See Examples For:
Allan, who was 47 and toward the end of his second marriage by the time Steven was born, got annoyed by errant balls that Steven didn’t get in his plastic Little Tikes hoop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
It was run by a man in his early 40s with a single gold hoop and a tight gray bun.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
“He was working there with his big muscles and his long hair and his hoop earrings and he was so good looking and he was a bodybuilder and a hairdresser,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
In her song Wi$h Li$t, from her last album, Swift fantasised about settling down with Kelce, sketching out an idyllic future in which they have "a couple kids" and "a driveway with a basketball hoop".
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Then she made more curd, and filled the cheese hoop again.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Ozuna said that her daughter, the kindergarten teacher, holds a college degree and is working toward becoming a certified teacher but has struggled to get through a series of financial hoops.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
But if they don’t want to, “they will no longer have to jump through hoops to permanently opt out.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Mr. Bessent has been jumping through hoops with short-term fixes that don’t work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Physical activity and movement, like playing freeze tag or shooting hoops during recess, can improve information processing, executive function, attention, and memory, research suggests.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
He'd always say things like, "Jess, we're going to go shoot hoops just the two of us, but when we get back we'll play spud with you."
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
But such was Kevin's affection that long after it was over, the green-and-white hooped jersey remained his go-to match day uniform.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The fishermen of Janitzio island with their shallow boats and hooped, figure-eight nets were made famous by photographers and filmmakers in the 1940s and 50s as a symbol of Mexico’s folk traditions.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
"Yoooooo, I thought you was left-handed from how you hooped," a beady-eyed boy named Kareem chuckled, hold- ing a perfectly twisted piece of paper.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2022
They explored the extensive grounds, hula hooped on the lawn, and played volleyball.
From New York Times ● Aug. 13, 2021
When she came back from the woods, we hooped and hollered and ran to the porch and just jumped up and down and pulled her inside by her shirttails.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Duckett nicked a Foulkes ball from round the wicket that angled in before moving away and Root was bowled by a hooping inswinger, albeit one not full enough for his booming drive.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2025
“I’ve been hooping my whole life,” Salazar said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2025
He reveals that he sprained it while hula hooping and he even shows photos.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2023
“He’s a great competitor. I like going against him. And he was hooping tonight for sure. He shot the ball exceptionally well and kept them in the game,” James said.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
I can't tell if the twisting in my gut is from disappointment or all the hooping.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
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.
