hops plural: the ripe dried female cone-like flower clusters of a north-temperate zone twining plant (Humulus lupulus) of the hemp family used especially to impart a bitter flavor to beer
2
plural hops: the perennial climbing bine from which hops are obtained that have 3- to 5-lobed leaves and inconspicuous flowers of which the pistillate ones are in scaly cone-like clusters
Verb (1)
a rabbit hopped across the frozen grass
the frog hopped back into the pond
the bus stopped, a lone passenger hopped on, and the driver continued on his way Noun (1)
back in those days taking someone to the school hop was a big deal
she made it across the rocky creek in two hops
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Verb
Bad Bunny is hopping back over to 30 Rock to make his grand return to Saturday Night Live, with the show announcing Thursday (April 24) that the Puerto Rican rapper will perform on its season-ender episode following a musical guest debut from Benson Boone two weeks prior.—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2025 Just hop online at the official Mayfest website to purchase tickets in advance and breeze right past the lines.—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
Similar to hops, specific strains of barley and wheat are used to produce specific tastes in different styles of beer.—Jay R. Brooks, Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2025 Klingenberg cites the lindy hop, the mambo and the cha-cha as antecedents of disco partner dancing.—Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hop
Word History
Etymology
Verb (1)
Middle English hoppen, from Old English hoppian
Noun (2)
Middle English hoppe, from Middle Dutch; akin to Old High German hopfo hop
: a twining plant (Humulus lupulus) of the hemp family with 3-lobed or 5-lobed leaves and inconspicuous flowers of which the pistillate ones are in cone-like clusters
2
hops plural: the ripe dried female cone-like flower clusters of a hop plant used especially to impart a bitter flavor to beer and also in medicine as a tonic
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