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• pop
  pop

  verb (used without object)

  to make a short, quick, explosive sound.
• POP
  POP

  abbreviation

  proof-of-purchase.
• pop.
  pop.

  abbreviation

  popular.
• p.o.p.
  p.o.p.

  abbreviation

  point-of-purchase.
• P.O.P.
  P.O.P.

  abbreviation

  printout paper.

pop

¹ American  

[pop] / pɒp /

verb (used without object)

• pops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• popped,
  past participle,  past
• popping
  present participle

1. to make a short, quick, explosive sound.

   The cork popped.

2. to burst open with such a sound, as chestnuts or corn in roasting.

3. to come or go quickly, suddenly, or unexpectedly.

   She popped into the kitchen to check the stove.

   Synonyms:

   burst, appear

4. to protrude from the sockets.

   The news made her eyes pop.

5. Baseball.

   1. to hit a pop fly (often followed byup ).

   2. to pop out.

6. Informal. to be bright or prominent, especially as against something less distinctive.

   I love how the colors pop against the neutral walls.

7. to shoot with a firearm.

   to pop at a mark.

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verb (used with object)

• pops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• popped,
  past participle,  past
• popping
  present participle

1. to cause to make a sudden, explosive sound.

2. to cause to burst open with such a sound.

3. to open suddenly or violently.

   to pop the hood on a car; to pop the tab on a beer can.

4. to put or thrust quickly, suddenly, or unexpectedly.

   He popped the muffins into the oven.

5. Informal. to cause to fire; discharge.

   He popped his rifle at the bird.

6. to shoot (usually followed by at, off, etc.).

   He popped off bottles with a slingshot.

7. British Slang. to pawn.

8. Informal.

   1. to take or swallow (pills), especially in excess or habitually; take orally in a compulsive or addictive way.

      Popping all those pills will land him in the hospital.

   2. to eat in a continual or thoughtless manner, as snack foods.

      popping peanuts at the movies.

noun

1. a short, quick, explosive sound.

2. a popping.

3. a shot with a firearm.

4. Informal. soda pop.

5. a drink or portion of an alcoholic beverage, as a drink of whiskey or a glass of beer.

   We had a couple of pops on the way home.

6. Baseball. pop fly.

7. Informal. a bright or prominent burst of something.

   Citrus can add a pop of flavor.

adverb

1. with an explosive sound.

   The balloon went pop.

2. quickly, suddenly, or unexpectedly.

   Pop, the door flew open!

adjective

1. Informal. unexpected; without prior warning or announcement.

   The teacher gave us a pop quiz.

verb phrase

1. pop out to be put out by hitting a pop fly caught on the fly by a player on the opposing team.

2. pop in. see pop-in.

3. pop for to pay or buy for oneself or another, especially as a gift or treat; spring for.

   I'll pop for the first round of drinks.

4. pop up to hit a pop fly.

5. pop off

   1. to die, especially suddenly.

   2. to depart, especially abruptly.

   3. to express oneself volubly or excitedly and sometimes irately or indiscreetly.

      He popped off about the injustice of the verdict.

idioms

1. a pop, each; apiece.

   five orchids at $30 a pop.

2. pop the question, to propose marriage.

   They dated for two years before he popped the question.

pop ² American  

[pop] / pɒp /

adjective

1. of or relating to songs that are produced for and popular with mass audiences.

   She studied classical music in school, but found a career writing pop songs.

2. being or relating to a broad genre of music characterized by being highly accessible and commercial, frequently changing sound according to what musical styles are trendy, and often having repetitive lyrics and simple rhythms that are easy to dance to.

   She was originally a country singer, but her music has gradually swung toward a more pop sound.

3. of or relating to pop art.

4. reflecting or aimed at the tastes of the general public.

   pop culture;

   pop novels;

   pop psychology.

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noun

1. music that is produced for and popular with mass audiences.

   It's the first time she's sung pop, as she usually performs opera.

2. a broad genre of music characterized by being highly accessible and commercial, frequently changing sound according to what musical styles are trendy, and often having repetitive lyrics and simple rhythms that are easy to dance to (often used in combination).

   The album's instrumentation mixes the sounds of soul, R&B, and pop.

   Here's our list of the top pop rock albums of the year.

3. pop art.

pop ³ American  

[pop] / pɒp /

Also pops

noun

Informal.

1. father.

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pop ⁴ American  

[pop] / pɒp /

noun

1. a frozen ice or ice-cream confection on a stick.

   Two lemon pops, please.

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POP ⁵ American  

[pee-oh-pee, pop] / ˈpiˈoʊˈpi, pɒp /

abbreviation

1. proof-of-purchase.

2. Computers. Post Office Protocol.

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pop. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. popular.

2. popularly.

3. population.

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p.o.p. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. point-of-purchase.

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P.O.P. ⁸ American  

abbreviation

1. printout paper.

2. point-of-purchase.

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pop ¹ British  

/ pɒp /

verb

1. to make or cause to make a light sharp explosive sound

2. to burst open or cause to burst open with such a sound

3. informal (intr; often foll by in, out, etc) to come (to) or go (from) rapidly or suddenly; to pay a brief or unexpected visit (to)

4. (intr) (esp of the eyes) to protrude

   her eyes popped with amazement

5. to shoot or fire at (a target) with a firearm

6. (tr) to place or put with a sudden movement

   she popped some tablets into her mouth

7. informal (tr) to pawn

   he popped his watch yesterday

8. slang (tr) to take (a drug) in pill form or as an injection

   pill popping

9. See clog 1

10. informal to propose marriage

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noun

1. a light sharp explosive sound; crack

2. informal a flavoured nonalcoholic carbonated beverage

3. informal a try; attempt

   have a pop at goal

4. informal an instance of criticism

   Townsend has had a pop at modern bands

5. informal each

   30 million shares at 7 dollars a pop

adverb

1. with a popping sound

interjection

1. an exclamation denoting a sharp explosive sound

pop ² British  

/ pɒp /

noun

1. 1. music of general appeal, esp among young people, that originated as a distinctive genre in the 1950s. It is generally characterized by a strong rhythmic element and the use of electrical amplification

   2. ( as modifier )

      pop music

      a pop record

      a pop group

2. informal a piece of popular or light classical music

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adjective

1. informal short for popular

POP ³ British  

abbreviation

1. point of presence: a device that enables access to the internet

2. internet post office protocol: a protocol which brings e-mail to and from a mail server

3. Post Office Preferred (size of envelopes, etc)

4. persistent organic pollutant

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pop. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. popular

2. popularly

3. population

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pop ⁵ British  

/ pɒp /

noun

1. an informal word for father

2. informal a name used in addressing an old or middle-aged man

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Regionalisms

See soda pop .

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• popping
  present
• popped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pop
  simple
• pops
  simple
• have popped
  perfect
• has popped
  perfect
• am popping
  progressive
• are popping
  progressive
• is popping
  progressive
• have been popping
  perfect progressive
• has been popping
  perfect progressive

Past

• popped
  simple
• had popped
  perfect
• was popping
  progressive
• were popping
  progressive
• had been popping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pop
  simple
• will have popped
  perfect
• will be popping
  progressive
• will have been popping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pop¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English verb poppen “to strike”; of expressive origin

Origin of pop²

First recorded in 1860–65; shortening of popular

Origin of pop³

First recorded in 1820–30; short form of poppa

Origin of pop⁴

Probably shortening of Popsicle

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pop POP pop. P.O.P. pops popped popping

Kelce - older brother of Travis, the three-time Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs tight end married to global pop superstar Taylor Swift - played 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Throughout it all, Ditka emerged as a pop culture icon with his bravado and signature looks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

At the Fonda, Adéla recounted moving here from her native Slovakia and working alongside the show’s other contestants to “try to become pop stars together,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

His every motive feels ulterior, and his inevitable simmering romance with Lowen resembles a can of worms that could pop open at any moment.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

CPU wags her hind end and looks up at Ray with eyes that pop out of her head, and her tongue hanging out of one side of her mouth.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

The director Josh Shaw, who founded POP in 2011, has a flair for comedy and goofy productions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

Figures suggest there were 127,000 mesh implants to treat incontinence and POP between April 2008 and March 2017, but campaigners believe the actual number is higher.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2024

Previous studies have shown that some Pacific orca populations can carry POP loads in their blubber that pose potential health risks, including reduced immunity, hormonal imbalances and reproductive issues.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2023

Research has also shown that people can accurately self-screen for contraindications to POPs and make the correct decision about whether or not a POP is safe and appropriate for them to use.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2023

We are about to head out of Tío Pepe’s house when we hear a loud POP.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

Forest Hills, pop. 6,500, is proud of its Westinghouse heritage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025

“As you can tell, the horns were very pop. But we were at that point in our career where we wanted to bring everything back that was analog.”

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

“It was horrible. I heard a pop. The trainer said he’s never seen a basketball or baseball player hurt their PCL before. I guess it was impressive on my part.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2023

“Get some easier shots, get some threes, and just make the ball pop. I feel like when the ball is popping and moving, you have more fun just playing that style of basketball.”

From Washington Post ● Jul. 12, 2022

“Please, it’s enough for me to have to birth this baby. I don’t need to deal with him, too. We’ll call him when I’m ready to pop. I’d much rather have you around.”

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

Préparation Olympique et Paralympique, the French agency known as P.O.P., came about in 2005 after Paris lost its bid for the 2012 Games to London.

From New York Times ● Jul. 23, 2012

Revolution resembles the boardsports mega-stores of Southern California, complete with elaborate company buildouts, fancy P.O.P., and a dense concentration of merchandise on the floor.

From Time Magazine Archive

To achieve this, P.O.P. and displays are kept low for clean sight lines.

From Time Magazine Archive

Panelists suggested including examples of diversity and minorities in P.O.P.,

From Time Magazine Archive

We wouldn't be at all surprised to see more manufacturers working on enhanced P.O.P. and working to create dedicated zones of their own inside dealerships.

From Time Magazine Archive

DJ and party attendee Sarah Graves loves the queer vendors selling accessories, giving out harm-reduction materials, and zines, and the Piercings by Mire booth that frequently pops up at the rave.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Hear'Say were top of the pops, a mobile phone game called 'Snake' was all the rage and Tony Blair was Prime Minister.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

“Many of them will be using margin and will get liquidated once the bubble pops, which seems to be what happened in South Korea.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026

Similarly, in the offseason it was frequently rumored that Manchester City coveted Crystal Palace star midfielder Adam Wharton, whose verve and creativity pops off the screen even to my untrained eyes.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

My cell dings and a link pops up on the screen, just above the video of Grandma.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

They’ve popped up in barns and on farms, in strip malls between an antique shop and an ax-throwing business and in churches, where lighting and sound for worship services is part of the curriculum.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

"I didn't want her to feel intimated and, within a few minutes, she popped up onto the window ledge on her side so she could get closer to us."

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Moderna’s share price popped in August on positive news about its therapeutic cancer vaccine to prevent melanoma from recurring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

And my mom said when I saw the screen, my eyes popped out of my head because I’d never seen a movie before.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

As the first bean sprouts grew larger, more and more popped up through the sand, each one inching up toward the sky.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Having cautioned last year about the prospect of froth in AI, Dalio has turned up the volume this year and begun to speak of the set-up as a bubble at risk of popping.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026

She said the rest of the world is just "catching up" to a style that's been "popping in Africa for the longest time".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Then we tumble into the realm of inspirational gurus and thought leaders, where breathwork and manifesting meet motivational speak, popping with familiar verbal kernels like “sparking joy” and “habit formation.”

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Promotional AI-generated food images are popping up everywhere, from takeout menus to deli counters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

“I want to go back to the midway,” says Jonah, popping the last of his corn dog into his mouth and licking his fingers.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• appear
• bang
• blow
• crack
• dart
• explode
• hit
• insert
• jump
• leap
• put
• shove
• snap
• stick
• thrust