hopscotch
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
-
to jump or leap from one place to another.
Small birds hopscotched on the lawn.
-
to journey quickly and directly from one usually far place to another.
ambassadors hopscotching from Moscow to Paris to London.
-
to move or pass through something, as a geographical area or a field of endeavor, making many brief stops.
The candidate hopscotched through four states in two days.
-
to shift from one thing to another quickly or abruptly.
The story hopscotches from the present to the past in a confusing way.
verb (used with object)
-
to jump or leap over.
-
to cross over (a large area or distance) in one continuous action.
She hopscotches the country in her private plane.
-
to cross or travel through erratically or abruptly.
The escaped convicts hopscotched the valley.
noun
Etymology
Origin of hopscotch
Explanation
Hopscotch is a game in which players hop on one foot between numbered squares on the ground. Playgrounds and driveways are common places to see hopscotch being played. To set up a game of hopscotch, you need a grid of numbered boxes, often drawn on the sidewalk with chalk. Each player takes turns tossing a small rock or other object into one of the boxes, hopping on one foot, picking up the rock, and hopping back. The object is for the rock to land inside each box without touching a line, and for the hopper to also avoid landing on a line or losing balance.
Vocabulary lists containing hopscotch
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.
The hopscotch rotation was designed to level the playing field among fierce competitors when broadcast networks ruled the industry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
In a brightly coloured room with comfy sofas, cushions and toys, she has been playing hopscotch while I have been talking to Ali.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2024
“My beautiful, patient, understanding wife and my agent are very much against it and wish that I would just buy some sidewalk chalk and go hopscotch in the driveway,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
But this summer, marine biologist Fernando Lima hopped among the algae-covered rocks like a child playing hopscotch.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 1, 2023
They danced with one eye on their partner and one eye on their children playing hopscotch, scullies with bottle caps, or skipping rope.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
