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REFERENCE

hop

v. · n.
US //ˈhɑp// UK //hˈɒp// hop
  1. 1 to jump (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to make a small jump, or to jump on only one foot.

    to move by a short leap or a series of leaps; frequently used to describe jumping on a single leg.

    Example

    The children had to hop across the puddles to keep their shoes dry.

    Example

    The bird continued to hop along the garden fence, pausing occasionally to inspect the ground for insects.
  2. 2 to move quickly (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    to go somewhere quickly or to get onto a vehicle like a bus or train.

    to move in a quick or sudden manner; often used transitively when boarding a vehicle.

    Example

    I'm going to hop on the bus and meet you at the cinema in ten minutes.

    Example

    After the meeting, he decided to hop a flight to Chicago to surprise his family for the weekend.
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  1. 3 to change frequently (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to move often from one job, place, or activity to another.

    to move frequently between similar places or situations; commonly found in compounds like 'job-hopping'.

    Example

    Many young professionals hop from one company to another to increase their salary.

    Example

    The backpackers spent the summer island-hopping across the Aegean, never staying in one port for more than two nights.
  2. 4 a short jump (n.)
    A2 Elementary Sport

    a small jump, usually on one leg.

    a short, springy leap; in athletics, the first stage of the 'hop, step, and jump'.

    Example

    With a quick hop, the rabbit disappeared into the tall grass.

    Example

    The athlete's final hop was slightly off-balance, which cost him several centimetres in the total distance of the triple jump.
  3. 5 a short trip (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    a short journey, especially a short flight in a plane.

    a short distance or journey, particularly an air journey between nearby destinations.

    Example

    It is just a short hop from London to Paris by plane.

    Example

    The regional airline specialises in short hops between the various islands in the archipelago.
  4. 6 the beer plant (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

    a climbing plant whose flowers are used to give beer its bitter taste.

    the dried female flower of the Humulus lupulus plant, used as a bittering and flavouring agent in brewing.

    Example

    This craft beer has a very strong smell of fresh hops.

    Example

    The brewmaster experimented with different varieties of hops to achieve the specific citrus aroma required for the new pale ale.

    Usage

    Usually used in the plural form 'hops' when referring to the ingredient.

  5. 7 computing/data (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    one step in the journey of a piece of data from one computer to another.

    the passage of a data packet from one network node to the next.

    Example

    The connection is slow because the data has to make too many hops.

    Example

    Network latency increased significantly as the packet traversed fifteen hops before reaching the destination server.
Etymology 1

From Middle English hoppen, from Old English hoppian (“to hop, spring, leap, dance”), from Proto-West Germanic huppōn, from Proto-Germanic huppōną (“to hop”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewb- (“to bend, bow”). Cognate with Dutch hoppen (“to hop”), German hopfen, hoppen (“to hop”), Danish hoppe (“to hop, leap, jump”), Swedish hoppa (“to hop, leap, jump”), Icelandic hoppa (“to hop, skip”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English hoppe, from Middle Dutch hoppe, from Old Dutch hoppo, from Proto-Germanic huppô, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keup (“tuft, hair of the head”), referring to the plant's appearance. Cognate with German Hopfen and French houblon.

Idioms4 entries

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