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hop1

Pronunciation: /hɒp/

Translate hop | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of hop

verb (hops, hopping, hopped)

  • 1 [no object, with adverbial of direction] (of a person) move by jumping on one foot:he hopped along beside her
  • (of a bird or other animal) move by jumping with two or all feet at once:a blackbird was hopping around in the sun
  • spring or leap a short distance with one jump:he hopped down from the rock
  • [with object] North American informal jump on to (a moving vehicle):ex-soldiers looking for work hopped freights heading west
  • [with object] jump over (something):the cow hopped the fence
  • 2 informal pass quickly from one place to another:she hopped over the Atlantic for a bit of shopping [as noun, in combination]:island-hopping
  • (hop it) British informal go away quickly: I hopped it down the stairs
  • make a quick change of position or activity:over the years he hopped from one department to another

noun

  • 1a hopping movement: place the rabbit on the floor to have a hop around
  • a short journey or distance:a short hop by cab from Soho
  • 2an informal dance: the society’s regular fortnightly hop

Phrases

hop, skip (or step), and jump

  • 2 informal a short distance:it’s just a hop, skip, and jump from my home town

hop the twig (or stick)

British informal depart suddenly or die: he takes poison and hops the twig just as True Love bursts in

on the hop

British informal
  • 1unprepared:he was caught on the hop
  • 2bustling about; busy:we were always kept on the hop

Phrasal Verbs

hop in (or out)

informal get into (or out of) a vehicle:hop in then and we’ll be off

Origin:

Old English hoppian, of Germanic origin; related to German dialect hopfen and German hopsen

hop in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of hop in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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