(of books, usually children's books) having pieces of artwork fastened to the pages so that when the page is opened, a three-dimensional cutout or object is formed and, sometimes, movement of a picture element, such as a door opening, can be activated by pulling a tab.
of or being a device that ejects or raises a finished or used item from the top.
a pop-up toaster.
of or relating to a device, mechanism, or object that rises or pivots from a concealed or recessed position to its operating position.
a camera with a pop-up electronic flash; a car with pop-up headlights.
popping up, as from an appliance or object.
pop-up waffles heated in the toaster; a pop-up gauge for indicating when the turkey is done.
noting or pertaining to a store, restaurant, etc., that temporarily takes over a vacant space and does business there for a short time.
a pop-up store selling Halloween costumes.
Digital Technology. (of a new window or its content) appearing suddenly and temporarily within or in front of an open window on the screen of a computer or mobile device.
Right-click to get a pop-up menu. There are tools to block pop-up ads.
a pop-up book.
Also called pop-out, popout. something, as a partially cut out or spring-mounted illustration in a children's book, that unfolds or springs up when opened or otherwise activated.
a Christmas card with a pop-up of Santa Claus.
Baseball. pop fly.
a pop-up store, restaurant, etc.
Digital Technology. a pop-up window, message, advertisement, etc..
Press the hotkey and the pop-up will appear.
(of an appliance) characterized by or having a mechanism that pops up
a pop-up toaster
(of a book) having pages that rise when opened to simulate a three-dimensional form
computing (of a menu on a computer screen, etc) suddenly appearing when an option is selected
(of a shop, restaurant, venue, or other small business) intentionally opening and closing for business within a very short span of time
a pop-up shop
First recorded in 1860–65 pop-up for def. 9; noun, adjective use of verb phrase pop up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Before, it wasn't exactly all smiles. Now there is joy everywhere, even in sales at a pop-up store in Shanghai" despite weak sales in China, he explained.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
At a pop-up event, A24 sold “Primetime” merch featuring another Hansen quote: “What would’ve happened if I wasn’t here?”
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Sometimes the scariest special effect is a pop-up book.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The council told BBC Newsbeat it has been working with LFW on a series of pop-up events in England, Wales and Scotland to show this year's event was "bigger than London".
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
“You never paid me back when I bought you those waffle cookies. Or when I fronted you money for the helicopter pop-up book.”
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
"We can also choose what alerts pop up on our phone."
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“They pop up in different parts of the state, and they can produce a massive amount of rain in a very short period of time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
When Rachel Wong saw the connection request pop up on her LinkedIn, she didn’t know what to think.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The red dot disappeared from the map, only for another to pop up shorty after.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Trees pop up along the sidewalks and the run-down apartments turn into houses with nice cars parked in front and fresh-painted trim around the windows.
From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome
H&M has set up about a dozen secondhand pop-ups in the past few years, adding preloved sections in Stockholm and Vienna in recent months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Max spent £20,000 from his redundancy package buying and converting a horsebox trailer into a pizza truck, which now caters for weddings, parties and pop-ups.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
In the loop outside the theater are food trucks, buffets, and more than half a dozen Vancouver-area coffee, tea, and matcha pop-ups serving unlimited boutique offerings.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
That helps explain why Chinese malls and shopping districts increasingly lean on pop-ups, exhibitions, and themed retail to turn online enthusiasm into offline foot traffic.
From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026
I shot down a few more pop-ups and then typed in one word.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
