What does hoop mean?
A hoop is a circular band or ring, though the word also refers to the rigid rim around a basketball basket. Hoops may be made from metal, wood, plastic, or other materials and have many practical and decorative uses: they can reinforce a barrel, form part of a wheel or garment, or serve as jewelry. The word is also a verb. To hoop something means to surround or bind it with a hoop or ring, while in basketball to hoop the ball means to throw it through the basket's rim. Figuratively, the phrase "jump through hoops" describes undertaking difficult, repetitive, or seemingly unnecessary procedures. Hoop has long been associated with circular forms and appears in the names of hoop earrings, hoop skirts, and basketball hoops. Its uncomplicated shape makes it both visually distinctive and useful across several fields, from craftsmanship and clothing to sport.
A circular band or ring, especially one made from a rigid material. The term can also denote a barrel's reinforcing ring, a piece of jewelry, or the circular rim of a basketball basket.
"A wooden hoop formed the frame of the ancient barrel."
The word is especially common for jewelry rims, barrel bands, hoop skirts, and basketball rims.
To surround or bind something with a hoop or ring. In basketball, it means to throw a ball through the hoop and score.
"The defender hooped the ball over his teammate and into the basket."
The basketball sense is informal but standard in contemporary sports usage.
The regular plural is used for individual rings or bands and for multiple basketball rims.
"She wore three small silver hoops in one ear."
From delicate jewelry to the basketball rim, one simple circle can decorate the body, shape a garment, or decide the score.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hoop come from?
The noun comes through Middle English from Old English hāp, meaning a band or hoop. Old English hāp was part of a Germanic family that includes West Frisian hup, Dutch hoepel, and German Hupel. The verb developed from the noun, first for encircling or binding and later, in the context of basketball, for throwing the ball through the hoop.
Related word forms
How hoop is actually used
The expression "jump through hoops" means to make a series of strenuous or arbitrary efforts to satisfy demands. In British and American English, "hoop" is usually pronounced with a long /uː/; regional pronunciations vary.
Easily confused with hoop
Hoop is pronounced /huːp/ and names a circular band or rim, whereas whoop /wuːp/ is an exclamation or a loud cry.