POP (popped, popping)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pop mean? 

• POP (noun)
  The noun POP has 4 senses:

1. an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk

2. a sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavoring

3. a sharp explosive sound as from a gunshot or drawing a cork

4. music of general appeal to teenagers; a bland watered-down version of rock'n'roll with more rhythm and harmony and an emphasis on romantic love

  Familiarity information: POP used as a noun is uncommon.

• POP (adjective)
  The adjective POP has 1 sense:

1. (of music or art) new and of general appeal (especially among young people)

  Familiarity information: POP used as an adjective is very rare.

• POP (verb)
  The verb POP has 13 senses:

1. bulge outward

2. hit a pop-fly

3. make a sharp explosive noise

4. fire a weapon with a loud explosive noise

5. cause to make a sharp explosive sound

6. appear suddenly or unexpectedly

7. put or thrust suddenly and forcefully

8. release suddenly

9. hit or strike

10. drink down entirely

11. take drugs, especially orally

12. cause to burst with a loud, explosive sound

13. burst open with a sharp, explosive sound

  Familiarity information: POP used as a verb is familiar.

• POP (adverb)
  The adverb POP has 1 sense:

1. like a pop or with a pop

  Familiarity information: POP used as an adverb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

dad; dada; daddy; pa; papa; pappa; pop

Hypernyms ("pop" is a kind of...):

begetter; father; male parent (a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father))

Sense 2

Meaning:

A sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavoring

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

pop; soda; soda pop; soda water; tonic

Context example:

in New England they call sodas tonics

Hypernyms ("pop" is a kind of...):

soft drink (nonalcoholic beverage (usually carbonated))

Meronyms (substance of "pop"):

carbonated water; club soda; seltzer; soda water; sparkling water (effervescent beverage artificially charged with carbon dioxide)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A sharp explosive sound as from a gunshot or drawing a cork

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

pop; popping

Hypernyms ("pop" is a kind of...):

sound (the sudden occurrence of an audible event)

Derivation:

pop (burst open with a sharp, explosive sound)

pop (cause to burst with a loud, explosive sound)

pop (fire a weapon with a loud explosive noise)

pop (make a sharp explosive noise)

pop (cause to make a sharp explosive sound)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Music of general appeal to teenagers; a bland watered-down version of rock'n'roll with more rhythm and harmony and an emphasis on romantic love

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

pop; pop music

Hypernyms ("pop" is a kind of...):

popular music; popular music genre (any genre of music having wide appeal (but usually only for a short time))

• POP (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(of music or art) new and of general appeal (especially among young people)

Synonyms:

pop; popular

Similar:

nonclassical (not classical)

Domain category:

art; artistic creation; artistic production (the creation of beautiful or significant things)

music (an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner)

• POP (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Bulge outward

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bug out; bulge; bulge out; come out; pop; pop out; protrude; start

Context example:

His eyes popped

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

change form; change shape; deform (assume a different shape or form)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Hit a pop-fly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He popped out to shortstop

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Domain category:

ball; baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make a sharp explosive noise

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

The cork of the champagne bottle popped

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

go; sound (make a certain noise or sound)

Verb group:

pop (cause to make a sharp explosive sound)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pop"):

sputter (make an explosive sound)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

pop; popping (a sharp explosive sound as from a gunshot or drawing a cork)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Fire a weapon with a loud explosive noise

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Context example:

The soldiers were popping

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

discharge; fire (cause to go off)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

pop; popping (a sharp explosive sound as from a gunshot or drawing a cork)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Cause to make a sharp explosive sound

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

He popped the champagne bottle

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

sound (cause to sound)

Verb group:

pop (make a sharp explosive noise)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

pop (a sharp explosive sound as from a gunshot or drawing a cork)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Appear suddenly or unexpectedly

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

crop up; pop; pop up

Context example:

He suddenly popped up out of nowhere

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

appear (come into sight or view)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 7

Meaning:

Put or thrust suddenly and forcefully

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He popped the petit-four into his mouth

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

throw; thrust (place or put with great energy)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 8

Meaning:

Release suddenly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

pop the clutch

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

let go; let go of; release; relinquish (release, as from one's grip)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

Hit or strike

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He popped me on the head

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

hit (deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 10

Meaning:

Drink down entirely

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

belt down; bolt down; down; drink down; kill; pop; pour down; toss off

Context example:

They popped a few beer after work

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

drink; imbibe (take in liquids)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 11

Meaning:

Take drugs, especially orally

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Context example:

The man charged with murder popped a valium to calm his nerves

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

inject (take by injection)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pop"):

skin pop (inject (drugs) into the skin)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 12

Meaning:

Cause to burst with a loud, explosive sound

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The child popped the balloon

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

burst; collapse (cause to burst)

Verb group:

pop (burst open with a sharp, explosive sound)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

pop (a sharp explosive sound as from a gunshot or drawing a cork)

popper (a container for cooking popcorn)

Sense 13

Meaning:

Burst open with a sharp, explosive sound

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

This popcorn pops quickly in the microwave oven

Hypernyms (to "pop" is one way to...):

break open; burst; split (come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure)

Verb group:

pop (cause to burst with a loud, explosive sound)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

pop (a sharp explosive sound as from a gunshot or drawing a cork)

• POP (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Like a pop or with a pop

Context example:

everything went pop

 Context examples 

At the same time, I will not positively answer for my having never dropt a hint, because I know I do sometimes pop out a thing before I am aware.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Now we get to the second half when things really start to pop.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Holmes popped a sheet of paper before the doctor’s eyes.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

At last it popped into her head, “The dog is not shut up—he may be running away with the steak; that’s well thought of.”

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

But when they saw Redruth waiting for them in the sparred galley, they went about ship at once, and a head popped out again on deck.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

What our compounds do is stop urine production, so they swell up and can’t volume regulate, and in some cases they just pop, Denton says.

(Novel insecticide blocks mosquitoes’ ability to urinate, NIH)

The Cockney popped out of the galley.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I quaked till she was fairly in the carriage, and had a final fright, for as it drove of, she popped out her head, saying, 'Josyphine, won't you—?

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Pops of bright blue and green in this image of the Fireworks galaxy (NGC 6946) show the locations of extremely bright sources of X-ray light captured by NASA's NuSTAR space observatory.

(NASA Satellite Spots a Mystery That's Gone in a Flash, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Before the yellow balls popped up, volunteers had already noticed green bubbles with red centers, populating a landscape of swirling gas and dust.

(Citizen Scientists Discover Yellow "Space Balls", NASA)