bop
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
-
Originally called: bebop. a form of jazz originating in the 1940s, characterized by rhythmic and harmonic complexity and instrumental virtuosity
-
informal a session of dancing to pop music
verb
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bop1
1945–50, (be)bop
Origin of bop2
First recorded in 1935–40; variant of bob 3
Explanation
If you bop your little brother, you hit him lightly. If you do this, he's probably going to bop you right back. The origin of the word bop is imitative: bop sounds like the noise your hand makes when you bop someone or something. You can also use bop to mean bebop, the fast-tempo jazz that became popular in the 1940s, after the swing era. The word comes from the jazz tradition of singing nonsense words like bebop and rebop.
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.
See Examples For:
It features the Latin-influenced soul bop “If I Let You,” which quickly went viral and garnered praise from artists such as Questlove, Ghostface Killah, Erykah Badu, Pharrell Williams, SZA and Timbaland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The company says its "companion-centric" device can interpret human gestures and bop to musical rhythms, as well as take selfies and steady videos.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Many fans discovered her via the track “new friends,” an honest and lighthearted bop about not wanting to be friends with an ex.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
It’s scary, having a bot bop around the web for me, and there are real risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
Chris was walking up the block toward me, his giant umbrella now being used as a cane to put some extra cool in his bop.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
In a sparkly gold dress, the 20-year-old floated above the pressure, bopped along to the music of Donna Summer and glided her way to stardom—and the top of the podium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Szabolcs Csépe, from Budapest, bopped to over 3000 songs and burned more than 22,000 calories in his quest to romp into the record books.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025
Deborah bopped from the cafeteria to another schoolroom, where another precinct was sharing the space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
He did a nine-month tour in Afghanistan before leaving the Army, then bopped between a few jobs before returning to the familiarity of working with his dad.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
“Who was that French guy who bopped me on the head?”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
It’s hard to disagree that the current system, with quarterbacks bopping from campus to campus like jam bands and 26-year-olds lining up against 18-year-olds, needs revision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
What did teen girls bopping to “Modern Love” know about any of that?
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026
These bubbly creatures seemed to float by on the positive energy of the crowd, sometimes blithely bopping along, sometimes stopping to take photos with enthusiastic fellow inflatable-wearers.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2025
It’s the uniform of Echevarria’s youth on the East Coast, bopping between the suburbs and Manhattan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2024
"Don't touch, little Du Barry," the minister says, bopping her hand lightly.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
