# popcorning

Pronunciation: say "POP-korn-ing" US /ˈpɑp.kɔɹn.ɪŋ/, UK /ˈpɒp.kɔː(ɹ)n.ɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of popcorn. — present participle and gerund of popcorn
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of popcorn. Use this when the action is happening right now or when naming the activity itself.
   - _The herd kept popcorning long after the last treats were gone._
   - _She caught the kittens popcorning across the kitchen floor._

## Noun

2. A sudden, repeated leaping behavior in guinea pigs, typically expressing excitement or contentment.
   - Simple: Quick, repeated jumps a guinea pig makes when it is happy or excited.
   - _The breeder pointed to the popcorning as a clear sign of a contented, healthy litter._
   - _Sudden popcorning broke out across the hutch when fresh hay arrived._
3. An unintended chain reaction in which one blast triggers further explosions in sequence.
   - Simple: When one explosion sets off others, one after another, by accident.
   - _Investigators blamed the warehouse devastation on popcorning among crates of munitions._
   - _Once the first shell detonated, popcorning spread through the entire storage bunker._

## Noun

4. The creaky, low-pitched register of the voice; vocal fry. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A low, creaky way the voice sounds when it drops to its bottom range.
   - _The voice coach flagged the popcorning that crept into his lowest notes._
   - _Listeners noticed a touch of popcorning whenever she trailed off quietly._

## Origin

Formed from popcorn plus the suffix -ing, based on the jumping movements of popcorn kernels as they are cooked.

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