bop

1 of 4

verb (1)

bopped; bopping

bop

2 of 4

noun (1)

: a blow (as with the fist or a club) that strikes a person

bop

3 of 4

noun (2)

1
: jazz characterized by harmonic complexity, convoluted melodic lines, and constant shifting of accent and often played at very rapid tempos
2
bopper noun

bop

4 of 4

verb (2)

bopped; bopping

intransitive verb

1
: to go quickly or unceremoniously : pop
bop into the corner store
often used with off
2
: to dance or shuffle along to or as if to bop music

Examples of bop in a Sentence

Verb (1) she playfully bopped him on the head Noun (1) a bop to the printer sometimes fixes it
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The return to hallowed ground was also just like any other rally—people bopped around to Kesha and the Killers and napped on the grass or waited in line for funnel cakes. Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024 Coming out of the ghost town the pandemic made L.A. into, Gov. Newsom and the legislature bopped up the incentives program in 2021 to $420 million for two years and added further credits for the construction of more soundstages. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2024
Noun
Before the play begins, the cast bops around together onstage, vaping and chilling on a blow-up chaise longue and sharing a Kool-Aid-like substance from a plastic gallon jug covered in Sharpie graffiti. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2024 Her spectral trip-hop incantations are a departure from the maximalist, four-on-the-floor Brat bops ripping through the internet. Suzy Exposito, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bop 

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

imitative

Noun (2)

short for bebop

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1928, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1932, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of bop was in 1928

Dictionary Entries Near bop

Cite this Entry

“Bop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bop. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bop

1 of 2 verb
bopped; bopping

bop

2 of 2 noun
: a blow (as from a fist or club) that strikes a person

More from Merriam-Webster on bop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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