Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "bop" [bop]

  • To hit or strike. (verb-transitive)
  • A blow; a punch. (noun)
  • A post-World War II style of jazz characterized by rhythmic and harmonic complexity, improvised solo performances, and a brilliant style of execution. (noun)
  • To dance or move to the beat of this music. (verb-intransitive)
  • Slang To go: bopped off to the movies. (verb-intransitive)

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.

Use "bop" in a sentence
  • "And sometimes my pieces actually have chord changes, though not like in bop — more like a set of bass lines or a general harmonic movement of some kind."
  • "Lawmaker: Ban BP from outer continental shelf due to 'lethal' behavior jack wrote: I thought the bop was a last resort ..."
  • "You could ask the guy who put the 'bop' in the 'bop shoo bop shoo bop' -- who *was* that man?"