Bop - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT bop /bɑp/ /bɒp/ IPA guide

Other forms: bopped; bopping; bops

If you bop your little brother, you hit him lightly. If you do this, he's probably going to bop you right back.

The origin of the word bop is imitative: bop sounds like the noise your hand makes when you bop someone or something. You can also use bop to mean bebop, the fast-tempo jazz that became popular in the 1940s, after the swing era. The word comes from the jazz tradition of singing nonsense words like bebop and rebop.

Definitions of bop

verb hit hard synonyms: bash, bonk, sock, whap, whop see moresee less type of: hit deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument
noun an early form of modern jazz (originating around 1940) synonyms: bebop see moresee less type of: jazz a genre of popular music that originated in New Orleans around 1900 and developed through increasingly complex styles
verb dance the bebop synonyms: bebop see moresee less type of: dance, trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘bop'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family 2 million people are mastering new words. Master a word

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