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Meaning & use

hop skip jump

noun·Advancedinformal

Last updated

UK/ˌhɒp ˌskɪp ənd ˈdʒʌmp/
US/ˌhɑːp ˌskɪp ənd ˈdʒʌmp/

Meanings

  1. nounsingularinformalfigurative

    A very short distance, as if you could cover it in three quick playful movements.

    Grammar: Used with a: the beach is a hop, skip and jump from here.

    Patterns

    • a hop, skip and jump from something
    • a hop, skip and jump away

    Our new apartment is just a hop, skip and jump from the train station.

    The bakery is a hop, skip and jump down the road.

    She lives a hop, skip and jump from her office, so she walks every day.

  2. nounsingularold-fashionedsport

    An old athletic contest, now called the triple jump, in which a competitor hops, steps and then leaps as far as possible.

    Grammar: Used with the: she won the hop, skip and jump.

    Patterns

    • win the hop, skip and jump

    He took part in the hop, skip and jump at the school sports day.

    The hop, skip and jump was renamed the triple jump many years ago.

    Her grandfather used to compete in the hop, skip and jump.

Common combinations

just a hop, skip and jump away
The lake is just a hop, skip and jump away from our cabin.
a hop, skip and jump from here
The library is a hop, skip and jump from here.
only a hop, skip and jump
It is only a hop, skip and jump to the next village.
within a hop, skip and jump
We found a house within a hop, skip and jump of the sea.

Synonyms and how they differ

stone's throw
A stone's throw is a fixed idiom for a short distance, while hop, skip and jump sounds more playful and lighter.
short walk
Short walk is literal and neutral, whereas hop, skip and jump is figurative and suggests great convenience.
stone's throw away
This is nearly identical in meaning but is more common in everyday speech and writing.

Opposites

a long way

Word family

hop verb
to jump on one foot or move in small jumps
skip verb
to move forward with a light step and hop on each foot
jump verb
to push yourself off the ground into the air
triple jump noun
the modern name for the athletic event

Commonly confused: hop skip jump or skip and a jump?

hop skip jump vs skip and a jump

This is a shorter variant of the same idiom and means the same thing.

Practice

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