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Synonyms

hopscotch

American  
[hop-skoch] / ˈhɒpˌskɒtʃ /

noun

  1. a children's game in which a player tosses or kicks a small flat stone, beanbag, or other object into one of several numbered sections of a diagram marked on the pavement or ground and then hops hop on one foot over the lines from section to section and picks up the stone or object, usually while standing on one foot in an adjacent section.

verb (used without object)

Informal.

  1. to jump or leap from one place to another.

    Small birds hopscotched on the lawn.

  2. to journey quickly and directly from one usually far place to another.

    ambassadors hopscotching from Moscow to Paris to London.

  3. 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.

  4. 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)

Informal.

  1. to jump or leap over.

  2. to cross over (a large area or distance) in one continuous action.

    She hopscotches the country in her private plane.

  3. to cross or travel through erratically or abruptly.

    The escaped convicts hopscotched the valley.
hopscotch British  
/ ˈhɒpˌskɒtʃ /

noun

  1. a children's game in which a player throws a small stone or other object to land in one of a pattern of squares marked on the ground and then hops over to it to pick it up

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hopscotch

First recorded in 1795–1805; hop 1 + scotch 1

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.

“In the hopscotch of fate, you never know what’s going to survive,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2025

On a patch of dirt, between rows of tents, Alma plays hopscotch with her uncle Sami's children, leaping from square to square.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2024

Watching “Peanuts,” even as a kid, was like playing a game of cerebral hopscotch.

From Salon • Oct. 30, 2023

I don’t remember seeing any boys as we roller skated, jumped rope and played hopscotch on upper Waters Avenue.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2023

We played hopscotch and jumped rope on this walkway too.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

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.