Meaning & use
popping in
Last updated
“popping in” is a form of “pop in”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbphrasal verbinformal
Visiting a place or person briefly and casually, often without much planning.
Grammar: No object; often followed by to or for: popping in for a chat.
Patterns
- pop in
- pop in to see someone
- pop in for something
I'm just popping in to drop off your book.
She kept popping in to check on her grandmother.
Why don't you pop in for a cup of tea this afternoon?
verbphrasal verbinformal
Quickly entering a room or place for a moment.
Grammar: Can be followed by a place: popping in the kitchen.
Patterns
- pop in and out
- pop in the shop
He was popping in and out of the meeting to answer calls.
The cat kept popping in through the window.
Pop in the bakery on your way and get some bread.
Word forms
| base form | pop in |
|---|---|
| third person singular | pops in |
| past tense | popped in |
| -ing form | popping in |
Common combinations
- popping in for a chat
- Neighbors were popping in for a chat all day.
- popping in to say hello
- I'm popping in to say hello before my shift.
- popping in and out
- The manager kept popping in and out of the room.
- popping in unannounced
- Friends kept popping in unannounced.
Synonyms and how they differ
- drop by
- Drop by is nearly the same but a bit more neutral, while pop in stresses the briefness of the visit.
- stop by
- Stop by suggests pausing on the way to somewhere else, while pop in can be a short trip in its own right.
- call in
- Call in is more British and slightly more formal than pop in.
- visit
- Visit is a general word that covers any length of stay, so it lacks the quick, casual sense of pop in.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: popping in or pop up?
popping in vs pop up
Pop up means to appear suddenly, such as a window on a screen, not to visit.
Practice
I was passing your house, so I thought I'd ______ and say hello.
Choose one answer.
Pop in means to visit briefly. Pop out means to leave briefly, pop up means to appear suddenly, and pop off is rude or means to die.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “popping in”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.