Meaning & use
popper
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Meanings
nouncountableBritishinformal
A small two-part metal or plastic fastener on clothing that clicks shut when pressed together.
Grammar: Mainly British; Americans say snap: three poppers on the jacket.
Patterns
- a popper on something
- do up a popper
The baby's vest fastens with poppers between the legs.
One popper came off the coat, so she sewed it back.
He pressed the poppers on his cardigan shut.
nouncountableAmerican
A pan or machine used to make popcorn by heating kernels until they burst.
Grammar: Mostly American, often as part of popcorn popper.
Patterns
- a popcorn popper
They bought a hot-air popper for movie night.
The old popper rattled loudly on the stove.
Pour the kernels into the popper and wait for the popping to slow.
nounusually pluralslang
A small vial of a chemical inhaled for a short, intense head rush, usually amyl nitrite or a similar substance.
Grammar: Almost always poppers; the word is slang for a recreational inhalant.
Patterns
- sniff poppers
Doctors warn that poppers can cause dizziness and fainting.
Poppers are sold illegally in some countries.
Word forms
| plural | poppers |
|---|
Common combinations
- popcorn popper
- We use an old popcorn popper at the cabin.
- party popper
- Everyone fired a party popper at midnight.
- do up the poppers
- Do up the poppers before the baby gets cold.
- bubble popper
- The kids love the bubble popper toy.
- popper fastening
- The jacket has a popper fastening instead of a zip.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snap
- Snap is the usual American word for the clothing fastener that British speakers call a popper.
- press stud
- Press stud is the formal British name for the same fastener and sounds more technical.
- popcorn machine
- A popcorn machine is the larger commercial version, while a popper is often a small home appliance.
Word family
Commonly confused: popper or popper (Karl Popper)?
popper vs popper (Karl Popper)
Karl Popper was an Austrian philosopher of science; the name is capitalized and has nothing to do with the common noun.
Practice
A British mother says, Do up the poppers on his coat. What does popper mean here?
Choose one answer.
In British English poppers on clothing are snap fasteners. A popcorn machine does not fasten a coat.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “popper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.