/ huːp; NAmE / noun
1.
a large ring of plastic, wood or iron :
a barrel bound with iron hoops
hoop earrings (= in the shape of a hoop )
2.
the ring that the players throw the ball through in the game of basketball in order to score points :
Let's shoot some hoops.
—picture at basketball
3.
a large ring that was used as a children's toy in the past, or for animals or riders to jump through at a circus
4.
= hula hoop
5.
a small arch made of metal or plastic, put into the ground :
croquet hoops
Grow lettuces under plastic stretched over wire hoops.
•
IDIOMS
see jump verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Old English hōp , of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch hoep .