hopscotch

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈhɒpskɒtʃ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈhɑpˌskɑtʃ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(hopskoch′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hop•scotch /ˈhɑpˌskɑtʃ/USA pronunciation   n. 
    [uncountable]
  1. Gamesa game in which a child hops around a diagram drawn on the pavement to pick up a small object, as a stone or stick, that was previously thrown down in one part of the diagram.

v. 
  1. to jump, move, pass, or journey quickly and directly, as from one place to another: [no object]They hopscotched around the country in their small plane.[+ object]They hopscotched the area looking for survivors.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
hop•scotch  (hopskoch′),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Gamesa children's game in which a player tosses or kicks a small flat stone, beanbag, or other object into one of several numbered sections of a diagram marked on the pavement or ground and then hops on one foot over the lines from section to section and picks up the stone or object, usually while standing on one foot in an adjacent section.

v.i. Informal. 
  1. to jump or leap from one place to another:Small birds hopscotched on the lawn.
  2. to journey quickly and directly from one usually far place to another:ambassadors hopscotching from Moscow to Paris to London.
  3. to move or pass through something, as a geographical area or a field of endeavor, making many brief stops:The candidate hopscotched through four states in two days.
  4. to shift from one thing to another quickly or abruptly:The story hopscotches from the present to the past in a confusing way.

v.t. Informal. 
  1. Informal Termsto jump or leap over.
  2. to cross over (a large area or distance) in one continuous action:She hopscotches the country in her private plane.
  3. to cross or travel through erratically or abruptly:The escaped convicts hopscotched the valley.
  • hop1 + scotch1 1795–1805

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
hopscotch /ˈhɒpˌskɒtʃ/ n
  1. a children's game in which a player throws a small stone or other object to land in one of a pattern of squares marked on the ground and then hops over to it to pick it up
Etymology: 19th Century: hop1 + scotch1
'hopscotch' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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