hopping

American  

[hop-ing] / ˈhɒp ɪŋ /

adjective

1. working energetically; busily engaged.

   He kept the staff hopping in order to get the report finished.

2. going from one place or situation to another of a similar specified type (usually used in combination).

   restaurant-hopping.

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idioms

1. hopping mad, furious; enraged.

   He was hopping mad when his daughter dropped out of college.

hopping British  

/ ˈhɒpɪŋ /

noun

1. the action of a person or animal that hops

2. dialect a fair, esp ( the Hoppings ) an annual fair in Newcastle

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adjective

1. in a terrible rage

Etymology

Origin of hopping

First recorded in 1665–75; hop ¹ + -ing ²

Compare meaning

How does hopping compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hoping vs. hopping

Example Sentences

"Within living memory, our streets, parks and gardens were alive with buzzing insects, hopping frogs, singing birds and bustling hedgehogs," Harris said.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

"Creating with musical teams is great, but hopping into a different realm and being hyper creative with full-stack developers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, world builders -- that is the ultimate level of creativity."

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

By contrast, materials where ion transport occurs mainly through hopping between fixed positions did not produce these Raman signatures.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

“We’re hopping and hollering in our living rooms,” Michael said, “but it’s nothing like being in person.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

“What—” Llewelyn asked, hopping around them so quickly, Danny felt himself getting dizzy.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• bounce
• dive
• drop
• fall
• hurdle
• plunge
• rise
• upsurge
• vault