variants
or less commonly hip hop
or hiphop
1
a
: a stylized rhythmic music of African American origin that typically features rapping (see rap entry 6 sense 2) over synthesized beats (see beat entry 2 sense 4d) or sampled tracks
… the first bits of hip-hop were born out of DJs breaking apart funk and disco beats … until all that was left was the percussion, cut up into small, danceable portions for the people in the audience to sweat to.—
Hanif Abdurraqib
Hanif Abdurraqib… hip hop has become a form reflecting both the beauty and the belly of the beast in American society, refracted through the lens of black American culture.—Imani Perry
Imani PerryThe music that Charanga plays is … a combination of jazz and rumba spiced with reggae, funk and hiphop.—Silvana Paternostro
—often used before another nounSilvana Paternostrohip-hop artists
a hip hop song
b
or hip-hop dance
or less commonly hip hop dance
or hiphop dance
: syncopated dancing typically performed to hip-hop music
For decades, Harris has been swerving away from stereotypes and expectations of hip-hop dance, all while staying true to its roots.—Brian Seibert
Brian Seibert… an untapped market of people wanting to learn hiphop dance.—Nick Vogel
Nick VogelUnlike the verticality of classical dance … hip-hop uses a horizontal body, dissonance, and ragged gesture juxtaposed with a cool, relaxed, laid-back attitude.—Karen Lynn Smith
—often used before another nounKaren Lynn Smitha hip-hop dance group/crew
… a dance team that performs hip-hop routines at most weekend home games …—Gina Cherelus
Gina Cherelus2
: a cultural movement associated especially with rap music
In one sense, hip-hop had triumphed over America. … No matter the race, class, or geography, the kids wore the same clothes, spoke the same language, listened to the same music.—Jeff Chang
Jeff ChangIn my elementary school years, everyone I knew around my age loved hip-hop. … I loved every aspect of the culture and tried my hand at all of it.—Rakim
—often used before another nounRakimthe hip-hop generation
Hip hop culture is a four-legged stool, its artistic pillars of deejaying, graffiti art, rapping, and b-boying coming into existence in the early 1970s and each influencing the ways in which the other evolved.—Jelani Cobb
Jelani CobbExamples of hip-hop in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The hip-hop powerhouse returns to No. 1 on several important tallies, and the success of this latest effort appears to buoy his entire catalog.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Audiences may recognize her as the daughter of Joseph Simmons, a founding member of the legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 31 July 2025
Winfree, who formed the hip-hop duo U.N. with fellow artist Cam’ron in 2009, previously posted some of his musical collaborations with Blige on his Instagram.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2025
That salute will also encompass awards to BMI’s R&B/hip-hop songwriter, producer and publisher of the year in addition to recognizing the year’s top producers.
—Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hip-hop
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Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Audiences may recognize her as the daughter of Joseph Simmons, a founding member of the legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 31 July 2025
Winfree, who formed the hip-hop duo U.N. with fellow artist Cam’ron in 2009, previously posted some of his musical collaborations with Blige on his Instagram.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2025
That salute will also encompass awards to BMI’s R&B/hip-hop songwriter, producer and publisher of the year in addition to recognizing the year’s top producers.
—Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hip-hop
Cite this Entry
“Hip-hop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hip-hop. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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