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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

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

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

For the trio, who grew up as massive fans of the American pop group, the entire tour served as a masterclass.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

As presented here, “My Aim Is True” is every bit as explosive and exciting as the original release, an album that featured a clever blend of punk, rockabilly, pop and new wave sounds.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026

Bubbles pop from the inside, when the last buyer runs out of money.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

“As a global pop superstar, Rosé will amplify the spirit of the evening with her incomparable talent and style.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 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

Lovell and study co-author Wei-Chiao Huang, postdoctoral scholar in Lovell's lab, are employed by POP Biotechnologies.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 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

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

Collisions in the trenches sharpened from crunch to CRUNCH, from pop to POP.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2023

With a POP, the bubble burst like it were made of soap, and Seven fell gently onto the cushiony sofa.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

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

“But I like that I’m able to reach people that like country or rock or pop. I’m not in one box.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023

“Something big is going to pop. Somebody needs to be in charge.”

From Washington Post ● Aug. 16, 2022

“Sugar pop. We always make room for the things that matter.”

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

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

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

Manifestation doesn’t mean something we want pops out of thin air just because we think about it; it means hard work and relentless effort.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 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

Their debut there, before the conductor officially assumed the music directorship, was a lively and gratifying pops event in January.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Each piece of clothing within the collection nods to a futuristic past garnished by pops of primary colors while signaling toward a future of “systemized intuition” where utility is the ultimate framework.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Next second, Dad’s head pops through the hatch.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

That bubble popped in early 2000, leading to an eight-month recession in 2001 and a three-year bear market.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

He popped up in foul territory to end the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

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 popped my head out of the back window which overlooks where I was parked and yeah, it was gone."

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

They were briefly blinded as the mist swirled all around, but soon they popped through to the other side.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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

“If you knock out a few sets of pull-ups or biceps curls, you see your muscles popping in a way that is much harder to achieve if you squat.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

He started popping algebra questions into the search bar to quickly finish off his daily schoolwork.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

About half of the cases come from Texas and New Jersey, with others popping up in a dozen other states, from Alaska to Louisiana.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

The spirit tower halls spilled over with excitement as trainees moved between sessions and chased the new Halloween decorations popping up all over the Institute.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

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Related Words

• appear
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• stick
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