🚗 To open quickly 🎵 Popular music 👨 A father 💥 A sharp sound 💥 To make a sound 🎈 To burst 🥤 A soft drink 💊 To take medicine 👊 To hit lightly 🍺 To drink quickly 🕺 For young people ⚾ To hit high ⚡ Suddenly

to pop

46 3.4

To hit someone or something quickly and lightly

verb
/pɑp/

Informal

: dar un golpecito a

I'll pop him right now.
pop someone once
pop someone right

Examples

Eddie popped him in the chest with the heel of his hand.

Fiction book (2001)
Adam deftly pops him in the mouth again with a short right jab.

Fiction book (1999)
You go up there, pop him in the head.

Beckman (2020)
You gonna pop him for me, are you?

Lansky (2021)
I want you to pop him for me.

In the Line of Fire (1993)
Yeah, you give a nice little pop to Job and Hawk.
Back when I was in school, Doug used to pop me in the back of the head with fruit cups.

The Man from Toronto (2022)
Heaves Johnny off and pops him a solid swipe to the jaw.

Fiction book (2002)
"Your knight-in-shining-armor came to the rescue of the entire race." "I popped him one," Jeffrey said.

Fiction book (1991)
He playfully popped the balloon, making a loud sound.

Synonyms

to hit

vsto pop

∞ 1.0

To strike someone or something with force

is gentler and describes a quick light strike rather than forceful impact

to knock

vsto pop

937 1.0

To hit something by accident with a sudden movement

is quicker and usually less forceful, not typically accidental

to strike

vsto pop

553 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

is more specific about being quick and usually light

to slap

vsto pop

492 1.0

Hit quickly with the flat part of the hand

is lighter in force and less about a full hand blow

to smack

vsto pop

164 3.5

To hit someone or something with an open hand

is lighter and less forceful than a sharp open hand blow

to jab

vsto pop

19 3.3

To poke quickly and sharply with a finger, hand, or object

is lighter and less pointed than a quick sharp poke

to rap

vsto pop

8 3.7

To hit something quickly to make a short sharp sound

is quick and usually lighter rather than sharp and loud

to bop

vsto pop

Informal

1 6.1

To hit someone quickly in a light, playful way

is usually lighter and not intended as a strong hit

Idioms

to pop someone's cherry

Offensive

1 9.9

To have sex with someone for the first time

to pop the cherry

Offensive

9.9

To do something for the first time, often used informally about a person's first time having sex

snap, crackle and pop

6.5

Short sharp crackling sounds like cereal in a bowl

Phrasal Verbs

to pop up

144 3.5

Appear suddenly and briefly when you are not expecting it

to pop in

Informal

25 3.4

To make a short informal visit to a place

to pop out

21 3.1

To come out quickly from a surface or container

to pop out

20 2.9

To appear suddenly without warning

to pop out

Informal

16 3.2

To leave a place for a short time to do something

to pop the question

13 4.6

To ask someone to marry you

to pop into

Informal

13 3.9

A thought or memory comes into your mind suddenly and briefly

to pop into

Informal

9 4.1

Visit a place for a short time, often without planning

to pop off

Informal

1 8.1

To suddenly say something angry without warning

to pop out

Specialized

1 5.1

To move a window or panel out of the main program into a separate window

to pop a mint

Informal

1 3.4

To put a mint in your mouth to make your breath smell fresh

to pop off

1 7.9

To leave a place quickly, often without saying goodbye

to pop off

Informal

1 9.1

To die, often said as a joke to make it seem less serious

to pop bubble-wrap

Informal

1 2.7

Burst the small air bubbles in plastic wrap for fun or to feel calm

to pop off

Slang

1 8.4

To suddenly perform very well, often in games or music

to skin pop

NSFW

1 9.9

To put drugs under the skin instead of into a vein

to pop the lid back

Informal

4.4

To put the lid back on a jar or container quickly

Compounds

pop music

36 1.0

Songs with a catchy tune that many people like

pop tart

20 2.7

A thin sweet pastry with a fruit or chocolate filling that you heat in a toaster

pop quiz

19 3.4

A short surprise test that checks what students learned recently

soda pop

15 1.0

A sweet fizzy drink like cola

pop-up

Texting

8 3.8

A shop that opens in one place for a short time

pop-up

7 3.4

A small window that suddenly appears on your computer screen

pop-up

4 3.7

A book with pages that fold up into small paper scenes

Pop Art

4 4.4

An art style that uses images from advertising and comics

pop fly

Jargon

3 5.8

A high ball hit in baseball or softball that is easy to catch

pop group

3 2.3

A group of singers or musicians who play popular songs

pop-up book

3 2.5

A book for children with paper pictures that stand up when opened

pop bottle

2 1.1

A bottle that holds fizzy soft drinks like cola

pop-up

Jargon

1 3.6

A high fly ball that is easy for fielders to catch

pop-up toaster

1 2.2

A small electric machine that heats bread slices and pushes them up when ready

corporation pop

Literature

7.7

Popular music made by big companies to sell well and often not very original

ginger pop

7.7

A sweet fizzy drink flavored with ginger, like ginger ale

running pop

Specialized

9.9

A climbing tropical plant with thin divided leaf parts and stems that smell bad when crushed

pop feminism

Literature

6.4

A way people promote women's rights in popular culture like music and fashion

pop tent

3.8

A small, light tent that opens quickly and is easy to carry

pop-fly

Jargon

5.7

A ball hit high into the air near home plate that is easy to catch

How Hard

to hit

∞ 1.0

to smack

164 3.5

to pop

Informal

46 3.4

to tap

174 1.0

to pat

110 1.0

Surface Forms

pop infinitive

popped past

popped past participle

popping present participle

pops third person singular

Etymology

Pop meaning to hit lightly likely comes from the short, sharp sound and quick action of a small strike. So to pop someone is to give a quick, light hit.