Meaning & use
clip-clop
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Meanings
nounsingular
The regular knocking sound made by a horse's hooves as it walks on a hard surface.
Grammar: Usually singular with the: the clip-clop of hooves.
Patterns
- the clip-clop of something
We woke to the clip-clop of the milk cart outside.
The steady clip-clop of hooves echoed down the cobbled lane.
Children ran to the window at the clip-clop of the carriage.
verbintransitive
To make or move with the knocking sound of hooves on a hard surface.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a direction: clip-clop down the street.
Patterns
- clip-clop along
- clip-clop down something
The pony clip-clopped across the stone bridge.
Two police horses clip-clopped past the café.
The carriage clip-clopped slowly through the old town.
Word forms
| third person singular | clip-clops |
|---|---|
| past tense | clip-clopped |
| past participle | clip-clopped |
| -ing form | clip-clopping |
Common combinations
- the clip-clop of hooves
- The clip-clop of hooves grew louder as the riders approached.
- clip-clop along the road
- The old horse clip-clopped along the road.
- steady clip-clop
- A steady clip-clop came from the street.
- clip-clop down the street
- The wagon clip-clopped down the street at dawn.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- clip-clopping adjective
- describing the sound of horses walking
- clop noun
- a single hollow knocking sound
Practice
Which sentence uses clip-clop correctly?
Choose one answer.
Clip-clop imitates hooves on hard ground. A kettle, a door and rain make different sounds, and the verb here does not take an object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clip-clop”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.