hop

¹ American  

[hop] / hɒp /

verb (used without object)

hopped, hopping

1. to make a short, bouncing leap; move by leaping with all feet off the ground.

   Synonyms:

   bound, spring, jump

2. to spring or leap on one foot.

3. Informal. to make a short, quick trip, especially in an airplane.

   He hopped up to Boston for the day.

4. Informal. to travel or move frequently from one place or situation to another (usually used in combination).

   to island-hop;

   to job-hop.

5. Older Use: Informal. to dance.

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verb (used with object)

hopped, hopping

1. to jump over; clear with a hop.

   The sheep hopped the fence.

2. Informal. to board or get onto a vehicle.

   to hop a plane.

3. Informal. to cross in an airplane.

   We hopped the Atlantic in five hours.

noun

1. an act of hopping; short leap.

2. a leap on one foot.

3. a journey, especially a short trip by air.

4. Older Use: Informal. a dance or dancing party.

5. a bounce or rebound of a moving object, as a ball.

   She caught the ball on the first hop.

idioms

1. hop to it, to begin to move, become active, or do something immediately: Also hop to.

   You'd better hop to it if you intend to buy groceries before the market closes.

hop ² American  

[hop] / hɒp /

noun

1. any twining plant of the genus Humulus, bearing male flowers in loose clusters and female flowers in conelike forms.

2. hops, the dried ripe cones of the female flowers of this plant, used in brewing, medicine, etc.

3. Older Slang. a narcotic drug, especially opium.

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verb (used with object)

hopped, hopping

1. to treat or flavor with hops.

verb phrase

1. hop up

   1. to excite; make enthusiastic.

      They hopped the crowd up with fiery speeches.

   2. to add to the power of.

      The kids hopped up the motor of their jalopy.

   3. to stimulate by narcotics.

hop ¹ British  

/ hɒp /

verb

1. (intr) to make a jump forwards or upwards, esp on one foot

2. (intr) (esp of frogs, birds, rabbits, etc) to move forwards in short jumps

3. (tr) to jump over

   he hopped the hedge

4. informal (intr) to move or proceed quickly (in, on, out of, etc)

   hop on a bus

5. informal (tr) to cross (an ocean) in an aircraft

   they hopped the Atlantic in seven hours

6. informal (tr) to travel by means of (an aircraft, bus, etc)

   he hopped a train to Chicago

7. to bounce or cause to bounce

   he hopped the flat stone over the lake's surface

8. informal (intr) to begin intense activity, esp work

9. (intr) another word for limp 1

10. slang to go away

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noun

1. the act or an instance of hopping

2. old-fashioned a dance, esp one at which popular music is played

   we're all going to the school hop tonight

3. informal a trip, esp in an aircraft

4. a bounce, as of a ball

5. informal

   1. active or busy

   2. unawares or unprepared

      the new ruling caught me on the hop

hop ² British  

/ hɒp /

noun

1. any climbing plant of the N temperate genus Humulus, esp H. lupulus, which has green conelike female flowers and clusters of small male flowers: family Cannabiaceae (or Cannabidaceae ) See also hops

2. a field of hops

3. obsolete opium or any other narcotic drug

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hop More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing hop

• mad as a hornet (hops)

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Other Word Forms

• hoppingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of hop¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb hoppen, Old English hoppian; cognate with German hopfen, Old Norse hoppa

Origin of hop²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English hoppe, from Middle Dutch hoppe ( Dutch hop ); cognate with Old High German hopfo ( German Hopfen )

Explanation

To hop is to bounce or jump, either on one foot or both feet. Bunnies hop. People hop. And, sometimes, people do a dance called the "Bunny Hop." No joke. If you lose a shoe in a rainstorm, you might hop along on one foot until you find it again. You can also hop into and out of things, or up to or down from a height: "Hop in the car, let's go!" Something that's "a hop, skip, and a jump" from where you are is extremely close, a short trip. The Old English root of hop is hoppian, "to spring, leap, or dance."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hop hopped hopping

As much as I wanted to hop on a plane from New York City to try it, my editor and I settled on a shorter trek, to New Jersey, to start with its sloppy joe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

"They just hop around from one point to another."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

Consider when Gail and Otto arrive in Hollywood and hop in a cab driven by Richard Kind.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Not only did Cardi B lead the pack with six total nominations, she took home the award for female hip hop artist and delivered one of the night’s most anticipated performances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

I know how much my grandparents like to see us perform, so I stand extra tall, extend my arms, and demonstrate the shuffle hop step.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

They hopped from one job to the next in record numbers, seeking better pay, better conditions and better opportunities.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

Passengers using other A gates just hopped on an elevator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

That’s why during my reading last week, it was more peculiar than disruptive when a dancer hopped on a table to lay at a 90-degree angle and jet her feet in the air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Sam Fender fans Sarah and Joe, both 20, hopped on a coach from Dudley in the West Midlands.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

Maggie clapped her hands and hopped around the stage.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The findings suggest that even a landing near the moon's South Pole could send methane molecules "hopping" across the lunar surface to the North Pole in less than two lunar days.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

Wages rise more quickly when the jobs market is hopping.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

Jackie and Shadow’s youngsters — now teens by eagle standards — are hopping and flapping their wings as they prepare for their first flight, known as fledging.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

Gracie Schulte, a 27-year-old who grew up in Iowa, spent nine months in Hawaii last year on three back-to-back travel contracts, sharing frequent TikToks about swimming with sharks, skydiving and island hopping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

All the charmed folk are there, and I’m leading them in some kind of game that involves hopping from rock to rock down the stream.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish