Definition of "hoop" []

• A circular band of metal or wood put around a cask or barrel to bind the staves together. (noun)
• A large wooden, plastic, or metal ring, especially one used as a plaything or for trained animals to jump through. (noun)
• One of the lightweight circular supports for a hoop skirt. (noun)
• A circular, ringlike earring. (noun)
• One of a pair of circular wooden or metal frames used to hold material taut for embroidery or similar needlework. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Katie Hester has high hoops in Bend, Oregon, so high the hoop is actually behind her in this beautiful shot taken by her sister."
• "… Today, the hula hoop is at the center of a national fitness trend that improves flexibility and coordination, relieves stress, allows for creative expression through dance and even invigorates sexuality, said Omahan Chelsea Taxman, 21, who recently started a local hula hoop troop."
• "In fact she says the hoop is the best thing that ever happened to her."