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hopper

hopper

2 5.6
A small plant-eating insect with long back legs for jumping
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑːpər/
translation icon : saltamontes
  • And if you change your habits and don't spray the moment you see some plant hoppers, it turns out the fields do much better.
  • plant hopper

I've heard tree hoppers produce things like sound like a a lion purring rather than a house cat.

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Examples

  • The Megamelus plant hopper (about 3 mm long) may provide badly needed help in controlling water hyacinth.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Drought conditions set the stage for a population explosion because developing hoppers thrive in a warm, dry environment with patches of bare soil.

    Academic text (2004)
  • This is a tree hopper, one of many quite cute insects that are bound on the plants around us.

  • From hatching to laying eggs, a tree hopper can spend her whole short life living and communicating through the same twig.

  • "Grasshoppers actually have very specific plant preferences, so the particular combination of plants and hoppers on rangeland plays a big role.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Taosa and Megamelus plant hoppers are sap-sucking insects that, like their whitefly cousins, can transmit plant pathogens.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The grass was full of little hoppers jumping from blade to blade, enjoying the warm sun.

  • As I walked through the garden, I spotted several hoppers resting on the leaves of the plants.

  • During summer, it's common to see hoppers leaping around in fields full of wildflowers.

Synonyms

grasshopper
vshopper
32 1.0

A green or brown insect with long back legs that jumps in fields

is used mainly for small or young plant eating stages not adult field insects
fleahopper
vshopper
  • Specialized
1 9.0

A small jumping insect that eats plants and damages cotton

is used mainly for small young plant eating stages rather than named crop pests
flea beetle
vshopper
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A small leaf beetle with strong back legs that jumps like a flea and chews small holes in leaves

is used for small young plant eating stages rather than hard shelled beetles
leafhopper
vshopper
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A small jumping insect that sucks sap from plants and can damage crops

is used mainly for small young plant eating stages rather than crop pests
jumping plant louse
vshopper
  • Specialized
9.9

A small insect with strong back legs that jumps and feeds on plant juices

is used mainly for young plant eating stages with long hind legs
froghopper
vshopper
  • UK
8.7

A small insect that jumps high and whose young make white foam on plants

is applied mainly to young plant eating stages rather than just foam makers
treehopper
vshopper
  • Specialized
9.8

A small insect that jumps and eats sap from tree branches

is used mainly for small young plant eating stages not limited to branches
planthopper
vshopper
  • Specialized
8.4

A small insect that lives on plants and jumps, usually not harmful to crops

is used mainly for small young plant eating stages rather than this insect group
plant hopper
vshopper
6.7

A small insect with a wedge shaped body that jumps and lives on leaves

is applied mainly to small young plant eating stages rather than harmless plant dwellers

Idioms

in the hopper
  • Informal
3 8.2

Waiting to be acted on or decided

Compounds

1 6.5

A person who changes jobs often

rock hopper
  • New Zealand
1 8.3

A small penguin with a yellow crest that jumps on rocks

A small insect with a wedge shaped body that jumps and lives on leaves

A small beach animal that jumps like a flea

Surface Forms

hopper singular
hoppers plural

Morphology

hopper = hop (semi-transparent) = hop + er

It literally means something that hops, but the specific insect sense is a specialized zoological usage.

Etymology

The word hopper comes from hop 'to jump' and the ending -er 'one that'. A hopper as an insect is a small jumper with long back legs, so the name simply means a 'jumper'.