hopping

American  

[hop-ing] / ˈhɒp ɪŋ /

adjective

1. working energetically; busily engaged.

   He kept the staff hopping in order to get the report finished.

2. going from one place or situation to another of a similar specified type (usually used in combination).

   restaurant-hopping.

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idioms

1. hopping mad, furious; enraged.

   He was hopping mad when his daughter dropped out of college.

hopping British  

/ ˈhɒpɪŋ /

noun

1. the action of a person or animal that hops

2. dialect a fair, esp ( the Hoppings ) an annual fair in Newcastle

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adjective

1. in a terrible rage

Etymology

Origin of hopping

First recorded in 1665–75; hop ¹ + -ing ²

Compare meaning

How does hopping compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hoping vs. hopping

Example Sentences

Sidewalk closures, fence hopping and rerouting were common for these experimental pedestrians who often concluded that this is not a good plan for getting to the World Cup.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

Then, a mischief of magpies began a ruckus, chattering and hopping from branch to branch of a scraggly tree.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 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

Nasa has released details of robotic landers, hopping drones and vehicles it aims to send to the Moon as part of US plans to build a lunar base.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Handsome was readying himself to step onto the rock where Major Puff presently stood when suddenly the puffin boldly shouted, “Finally, a real battle! Take that!” while hopping backward away from Handsome.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

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