Meaning & use
popping the question
Last updated
“popping the question” is a form of “pop the question”.
Meaning
phraseidiominformalhumorous
Asking someone to marry you, a lively way of saying you are proposing.
Grammar: Fixed phrase with the; the subject is the person doing the asking: he is going to pop the question.
Patterns
- pop the question to someone
- about to pop the question
He is popping the question at dinner on Saturday, and he has already bought the ring.
She was nervous about popping the question on the beach.
Everyone knew Tom was planning on popping the question soon.
Word forms
| base form | pop the question |
|---|---|
| third person singular | pops the question |
| past tense | popped the question |
| -ing form | popping the question |
Common combinations
- finally pop the question
- After six years, he finally popped the question.
- pop the question to your partner
- She decided to pop the question to her partner on holiday.
- plan to pop the question
- He plans to pop the question at sunset.
- ready to pop the question
- I think he is ready to pop the question.
- pop the question on one knee
- He popped the question on one knee in front of the whole family.
Synonyms and how they differ
- propose
- It is the standard neutral word, while pop the question sounds more playful and casual.
- ask for her hand
- It sounds traditional and old-fashioned, and suggests asking a parent for permission.
- get down on one knee
- It is a figurative expression that stresses the romantic gesture.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: popping the question or pop a question?
popping the question vs pop a question
In the idiom, the question is fixed as the question, so pop a question would just mean casually asking something.
Practice
Last night he took her to the park and popped the question. What happened?
Choose one answer.
Popping the question is the idiom for asking someone to marry you. The other answers read the words literally.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “popping the question”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.