What does "popcorn" mean?
A snack food made from corn or maize kernels popped by dry heating.
Popcorn
/ˈpɑp.kɔɹn/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A snack food made from corn or maize kernels popped by dry heating.
- Grammar: popcorn is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: zea mays everta, maize snack, popped corn, popped maize.
- Useful contrasts: field corn, non popping maize, raw corn.
- Usage evidence: The more popcorn you eat, the more you want.
How to use "popcorn"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "popcorn" 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 "popcorn" 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 "popcorn" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "popcorn" 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 "popcorn" is acting as noun, verb 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 "zea mays everta" 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 "popcorn", 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 A snack food made from corn or maize kernels popped by dry heating. uncountable
"My friends and I ordered popcorn during the interval of the movie."
- 2 small kernels of corn exploded by heat wordnet
- 3 A serving of popcorn. countable
"Warner Bros has offered the two executives less than dollars 1m as an out-of-court settlement, a sum dismissed by Mr [Pierce] O'Donnell as 'two popcorns and two Cokes'."
- 4 corn having small ears and kernels that burst when exposed to dry heat wordnet
- 5 A piece of popcorn. countable, rare
"Some popcorns silently flicked off like face peelings on his shoe."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A type of corn or maize with a hard outer hull that, along with the type of starch it contains, makes it suitable for popping. uncountable
- 7 A kind of stitch similar to a bobble. countable, uncountable
"From the top the sample shows four stitch popcorns, five stitch bobbles, two rows of bells and a central leaf with leaves sloping to the left and right each side."
- 8 A form of brainstorming in which participants call out their ideas immediately, instead of waiting for an assigned turn to speak. attributive, countable, uncountable
"With the "popcorn" method, all team members in the session spontaneously call out ideas and a facilitator writes them on a flip chart."
- 9 Entertainment for observers. countable, humorous, uncountable
"And not at all about how a state picks which group of electors to send, which is the whole basis of the NaPoVoInterCo plan, and will yield plenty more Supreme Court popcorn if it ever gets enacted."
- 10 A slow Belgian style of soul music popular in the early 1960s. countable, uncountable
- 11 A Romanian style of Europop popular in the late 2000s. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To stand or jump up quickly.
"Popcorning behavior is a fun sight—as long as you know what it is. Otherwise, it can scare you. During this action a pig runs around very fast and suddenly leaps straight up in the air, twitching and squeaking. It then lands and takes off again, often in another direction. This activity shows pure joy. Babies start to popcorn when they are about two weeks old or so—they may try it earlier, but they usually fall down instead."
- 2 To pop repeatedly, like popcorn cooking.
- 3 To use the popcorn stitch. rare
"You've been cabling, twisting, popcorning and bobbling. See, we told you that they weren't so hard."
Synonyms
All synonyms zea mays evertamaize snackpopped cornpopped maizepopping cornpopping maize
Antonyms
field cornnon popping maizeraw cornunpopped kernels
Example
"The more popcorn you eat, the more you want."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "popcorn"?
Common synonyms include: zea mays everta, maize snack, popped corn, popped maize, popping corn, popping maize.
How do you use "popcorn" in a sentence?
The more popcorn you eat, the more you want.
How do you pronounce "popcorn"?
Pronounced /ˈpɑp.kɔɹn/.
Etymology
Short for popped corn. By surface analysis, pop + corn.