What does "hopper" mean?
One who or that which hops.
Hopper
/ˈhɒp.ə(ɹ)/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who or that which hops.
- Grammar: hopper is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: grasshopper, bin, broad jumper, bucking bronco.
- Useful contrasts: loyal employee, outlet, runner.
- Usage evidence: First, they load crushed dry ice into a hopper suspended under a big helium balloon.
How to use "hopper"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hopper" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hopper" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hopper" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hopper" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hopper" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "grasshopper" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hopper", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who or that which hops.
- 2 A Sri Lankan pancake made from a fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk, and palm toddy or yeast.
"Hoppers come in different varieties and can be sweet or savoury, while an egg hopper has an egg in the middle added during cooking."
- 3 (baseball) a hit that travels along the ground wordnet
- 4 A temporary storage bin, filled from the top and emptied from the bottom, often funnel-shaped.
- 5 terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping wordnet
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 A funnel-shaped section at the top of a drainpipe used to collect water, from above, from one or more smaller drainpipes.
- 7 funnel-shaped receptacle; contents pass by gravity into a receptacle below wordnet
- 8 A bin or device that feeds material into a machine.
- 9 a machine used for picking hops wordnet
- 10 Various insects; A grasshopper or locust, especially
- 11 someone who hops wordnet
- 12 Various insects; A grasshopper or locust, especially:; The immature form of a locust.
"I went over and found the mealies and ground covered with large hoppers, about two weeks old."
- 13 Various insects; The larva of a cheese fly.
- 14 Various insects; A leafhopper.
- 15 Various insects; Any of various hesperiid butterflies.
- 16 An artificial fishing lure.
"To catch a big fish, use a hopper that jumps across the pond surface."
- 17 A toilet. slang
"The fresh-water container for the house was above the ceiling directly over the toilet. One day, I was comfortably seated on the hopper minding my own business, when a large portion of the ceiling came crashing down […]"
- 18 An escapement lever in a piano.
- 19 The game of hopscotch. obsolete
- 20 A window with hinges at the bottom, opened by tilting vertically.
- 21 A hopper car.
- 22 A fairy chess piece which moves only by jumping over another piece.
"The Leo, Pao (or Cannon, a piece from Chinese chess) and Vao (Z.Mach FCR 1940) are hybrid hoppers that move like a queen, rook or bishop and capture along these lines like a lion."
- 23 A person or machine that picks hops.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 An unincorporated community in Stronghurst Township, Henderson County, Illinois, United States.
- 3 An unincorporated community in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"First, they load crushed dry ice into a hopper suspended under a big helium balloon."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hopper"?
Common synonyms include: grasshopper, bin, broad jumper, bucking bronco, buckjumper, career hopper.
How do you use "hopper" in a sentence?
First, they load crushed dry ice into a hopper suspended under a big helium balloon.
How do you pronounce "hopper"?
Pronounced /ˈhɒp.ə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English hoppere, alteration of *hoppe (found in grashoppe (“grasshopper”)), from Old English *hoppa (“one who hops, hopper”), equivalent to hop + -er. Cognate with Dutch hopper (“hopper”), Swedish hoppare (“hopper, jumper”), Icelandic hoppari (“hopper”).
Etymology 2
From Sinhalese ආප්ප (āppa), from Tamil ஆப்பம் (āppam). Doublet of appam.
Etymology 3
* As an English and Scottish surname, from the verb hop; identical to hopper. * As a German surname, from hoppen (“to stumble, limp”), related to above. * As a Dutch surname, from hop (“Humulus lupulus”).