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hoop.

A circular band of metal used to bind a barrel.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/huːp//hʊp/US, regional
  1. A circular band of metal used to bind a barrel.

    countable · uncountable
  2. Any circular band or ring.

    countable · uncountable
    the cheese hoop, or cylinder in which the curd is pressed in making cheese
    gymnastic hoop
  3. A circular band of metal, wood, or similar material used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent.

    countable · uncountable
  4. A circle, or combination of circles, of thin whalebone, metal, or other elastic material, used for expanding the skirts of ladies' dresses; (hence, by extension) a hoop petticoat or hoop skirt.

    countable · historical · uncountable
  5. A quart-pot; so called because originally bound with hoops, like a barrel. Also, a portion of the contents measured by the distance between the hoops.

    countable · uncountable
  6. An old measure of capacity, variously estimated at from one to four pecks.

    UK · countable · obsolete · uncountable
  7. The rim part of a basketball net.

    countable · uncountable
  8. The game of basketball.

    US · countable · in-plural · metonymically · uncountable
  9. A hoop earring.

    countable · uncountable
  10. A horizontal stripe on the jersey.

    countable · plural-normally · uncountable
  11. A jockey.

    Australia · broadly · countable · metonymically · slang · uncountable
  12. An obstacle that must be overcome in order to proceed.

    countable · figuratively · plural-normally · uncountable
  13. Hooping (manipulation of and artistic movement or dancing with a hoop).

    uncountable
  14. A significant amount of swing from the bowler.

    slang · uncountable
  15. An apparatus.

    countable
  16. An apparatus. An apparatus program with a hoop.

    countable · metonymically · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English hoop, hoope, from Old English hōp (“mound, raised land; in combination, circular object”), from Proto-Germanic *hōpą (“bend, bow, arch”) (compare Saterland Frisian Houp (“hoop”), Dutch hoep (“hoop”), Old Norse hóp (“bay, inlet”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kāb- (“to bend”) (compare Lithuanian kabė (“hook”), Old Church Slavonic кѫпъ (kǫpŭ, “hill, island”)). More at camp.

verb/huːp//hʊp/US, regional
  1. To bind or fasten using a hoop.

    transitive
    to hoop a barrel or puncheon
  2. To clasp; to encircle; to surround.

    transitive
  3. To play basketball.

    intransitive · slang
Where this word comes from

From Middle English hoop, hoope, from Old English hōp (“mound, raised land; in combination, circular object”), from Proto-Germanic *hōpą (“bend, bow, arch”) (compare Saterland Frisian Houp (“hoop”), Dutch hoep (“hoop”), Old Norse hóp (“bay, inlet”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kāb- (“to bend”) (compare Lithuanian kabė (“hook”), Old Church Slavonic кѫпъ (kǫpŭ, “hill, island”)). More at camp.

noun/huːp//hʊp/US, regional
  1. A shout; a whoop, as in whooping cough.

  2. The hoopoe.

    archaic
Where this word comes from

Onomatopoeic.

verb/huːp//hʊp/US, regional
  1. To utter a loud cry, or a sound imitative of the word, by way of call or pursuit; to shout.

    dated
  2. To whoop, as in whooping cough.

    dated
Where this word comes from

Onomatopoeic.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.