# pop

Pronunciation: say "POP" US /pɑp/, UK /pɒp/

## Noun

1. Popular commercial music marked by catchy, accessible melodies and aimed at a broad audience.
   - Simple: A kind of modern music with catchy tunes that many people enjoy.
   - _The band started out in jazz before switching to pop._
   - _Modern pop borrows heavily from hip-hop and electronic music._
4. A loud, sharp sound, such as a cork coming out of a bottle whose contents are under pressure from fizziness.
   - Simple: A short, sharp sound, like the noise a cork makes leaving a bottle.
   - _The champagne cork came free with a satisfying pop._
   - _A series of pops echoed across the lake as the fireworks went off._
12. A sweet, carbonated, usually nonalcoholic soft drink; also, a bottle, can, or serving of such a drink; soda pop. *(dialectal, Canada, Inland Northern American, Midlands, Midwestern US, Northern England, Northwestern, Pennsylvania, US, Western)*
   - Simple: A sweet fizzy drink, like cola, or a can or bottle of it.
   - _Across the Midwest, people tend to order pop rather than soda._
   - _She kept the pop cold in a cooler all afternoon._
9. An informal, affectionate name for one's father. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A friendly, informal word for one's father.
   - _He spent the weekend helping his pop repair the porch._
   - _Ask your pop if he wants to come along._
10. A quality of standing out vividly to the eye, ear, or mind.
   - Simple: A bright or strong quality that quickly catches your eye or attention.
   - _A splash of yellow gives the painting real pop._
   - _The chef added lime to bring a pop of brightness to the dish._
14. A hard candy mounted on a stick for sucking; a lollipop. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A piece of hard, sweet candy on the end of a small stick.
   - _The bank teller lets my son pick a pop from the candy jar every Friday._
   - _He unwrapped a grape pop and sucked on it during the long car ride._
15. Short for freeze pop: a frozen treat of sweet, flavored liquid sealed in a long plastic tube. *(colloquial)* — Ellipsis of freeze pop.
   - Simple: Short for freeze pop: a frozen sweet treat in a plastic tube.
   - _We kept a whole box of pops in the freezer all summer._
   - _He bit the end off his pop and squeezed the ice up._
20. The number of people living in a particular area; population.
   - Simple: The number of people living in a place.
   - _The travel guide describes the county seat as a quiet town (pop. 9,000) with one main street._
   - _A faded sign at the edge of the tiny town still read "Elm Grove, pop. 412," though many of those people had long since moved away._
21. A quantity dispensed at one time; a portion or unit, often used to mean 'apiece' or 'each.' *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A single amount or portion, especially the cost for each one.
   - _Concert seats were going for a hundred dollars a pop._
   - _At five dollars a pop, the fairground rides added up quickly._
25. A quick, often unaimed shot fired from a firearm.
   - Simple: A quick shot from a gun, often fired without taking careful aim.
   - _She took a pop at the swinging target and just clipped its edge._
   - _A couple of wild pops from his rifle sent the birds scattering skyward._

## Verb

2. To move suddenly and quickly, darting into or out of a place.
   - Simple: To move suddenly and quickly into or out of a place.
   - _Squirrels pop in and out of the hedge all morning._
   - _A figure popped out from behind the door._
5. To make a short, sharp, explosive sound, or to cause something to burst with such a sound.
   - Simple: To make a short, sharp sound, or make something burst with that sound.
   - _The kernels began to pop as the oil heated._
   - _Something popped loudly in the engine before it stalled._
6. To stand out strikingly; to be vivid or distinctive to the senses.
   - Simple: To clearly stand out and catch your eye.
   - _Against the gray backdrop, the yellow jacket really pops._
   - _A few accent pillows can make a plain room pop._
7. To make a short, quick trip or visit somewhere.
   - Simple: To go somewhere quickly for a short time.
   - _Why don't we pop over to the neighbors for a few minutes?_
   - _He popped in to say hello on his way home._
8. To put or place something somewhere with a quick, short movement. *(Australia, UK)*
   - Simple: To quickly put something in a place.
   - _Just pop your coat on the hook by the door._
   - _He popped the letter in the postbox on his way to work._
13. To swallow or take a tablet, pill, or other small item, especially a drug, often quickly or casually. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To quickly swallow a pill or small treat.
   - _She popped a couple of vitamins with her breakfast._
   - _Some patients pop painkillers far too freely._
17. To shoot someone with a firearm. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To shoot someone with a gun.
   - _Gang members popped him in broad daylight._
   - _The boss hired a gunman to pop a rival._
18. To strike something or someone with a quick, sharp blow.
   - Simple: To hit someone or something quickly and sharply.
   - _She popped him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention._
   - _Quit it, or I'll pop you one._
19. Of the ears, to undergo a sudden equalization of pressure as the Eustachian tubes open.
   - Simple: When your ears suddenly feel clear as the pressure inside them changes.
   - _Her ears popped during the steep descent into the valley._
   - _Swallowing helps the ears pop on takeoff._
22. To take into custody; to arrest. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To catch and hold someone for breaking the law, as the police do.
   - _Officers popped the suspect as he left the building._
   - _Detectives planned to pop the dealer during the handoff._
23. To pull off a trick or maneuver on a skateboard or other board, or on a vehicle. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To do a jump or trick while riding a skateboard or similar board.
   - _The skater popped a smooth ollie over the curb._
   - _Beginners often struggle to pop tricks with any consistency._
24. To dance by abruptly contracting and releasing the muscles in sharp hits timed to the beat.
   - Simple: To dance by quickly tensing and releasing your muscles in time with the music.
   - _She popped and locked her way across the stage._
   - _Few street dancers can pop with that kind of control._
26. To ejaculate or reach orgasm. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To reach sexual climax.
   - _He focused on his breathing so he wouldn't pop right away._
   - _Just as he was about to pop, his phone rang and ruined the moment._
27. To give birth. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To have a baby.
   - _She was so pregnant she looked ready to pop at any moment._
   - _The new mother popped just before midnight._
11. To take place or come about. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To happen or take place.
   - _Yo, what's popping this weekend? Y'all got plans?_
   - _Once the DJ shows up, you never know what's gonna pop._

## Adjective

3. Popular; appealing to or reflecting mainstream tastes, especially in culture and the arts.
   - Simple: Liked or followed by many people, especially in music, art, and everyday culture.
   - _His lectures blend serious theory with pop references._
   - _The museum's pop art exhibit drew huge crowds all summer._

## Interjection

16. A loud, sharp burst of sound, such as a cork coming out of a bottle.
   - Simple: A short, sharp sound, like a cork leaving a bottle.
   - _Pop! went the firecracker, and the children jumped back in surprise._
   - _Pop! The jar lid gave way as he twisted it open._

## Noun

28. A pistol; a small handgun, in dated slang use. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A small gun you can hold in one hand.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To pawn something in order to raise money.
- (noun) In computing, taking away whichever item was added to a stack most recently.
- (noun) The redwing, a European thrush.
- (noun) In physics, the sixth derivative of position with respect to time, meaning how quickly crackle changes.
- (noun) An undersized, unripe peanut that is boiled for snacking.
- (noun) A loud burst of cheering or noise from a crowd.
- (noun) A playing technique, mainly on bass guitar, in which a string is hooked, lifted off the fingerboard and let go to snap back.
- (verb) In computing, to take away whichever item was added to a stack most recently.
- (verb) To have penetrative sex with someone, as the partner doing the penetrating.
- (verb) To hook a finger under a string, mainly on a bass guitar, pull it away from the fingerboard, and let it snap back.
- (noun) A parish priest in the Russian Orthodox Church.

## Origin

**Meanings 2, 4–8, 10–19, 21–28** — From Middle English pop, poppe ("a blow; strike; buffet"), which also gave the verb poppen ("to strike; thrust"). It is of onomatopoeic origin, used to describe a sound or a short, sharp action. The physics sense comes from the playful sequence "snap, crackle, pop", after the Rice Krispies mascots.
**Meaning 9** — From papa or poppa.
**Meanings 1, 3, 20** — A clipping of popular or population.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pop (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).