variants
or less commonly hip hop
or hiphop
1
a
: a stylized rhythmic music of African American origin that typically features rapping (see rap entry 6 sense 2) over synthesized beats (see beat entry 2 sense 4d) or sampled tracks
… the first bits of hip-hop were born out of DJs breaking apart funk and disco beats … until all that was left was the percussion, cut up into small, danceable portions for the people in the audience to sweat to.—
Hanif Abdurraqib
Hanif Abdurraqib… hip hop has become a form reflecting both the beauty and the belly of the beast in American society, refracted through the lens of black American culture.—Imani Perry
Imani PerryThe music that Charanga plays is … a combination of jazz and rumba spiced with reggae, funk and hiphop.—Silvana Paternostro
—often used before another nounSilvana Paternostrohip-hop artists
a hip hop song
b
or hip-hop dance
or less commonly hip hop dance
or hiphop dance
: syncopated dancing typically performed to hip-hop music
For decades, Harris has been swerving away from stereotypes and expectations of hip-hop dance, all while staying true to its roots.—Brian Seibert
Brian Seibert… an untapped market of people wanting to learn hiphop dance.—Nick Vogel
Nick VogelUnlike the verticality of classical dance … hip-hop uses a horizontal body, dissonance, and ragged gesture juxtaposed with a cool, relaxed, laid-back attitude.—Karen Lynn Smith
—often used before another nounKaren Lynn Smitha hip-hop dance group/crew
… a dance team that performs hip-hop routines at most weekend home games …—Gina Cherelus
Gina Cherelus2
: a cultural movement associated especially with rap music
In one sense, hip-hop had triumphed over America. … No matter the race, class, or geography, the kids wore the same clothes, spoke the same language, listened to the same music.—Jeff Chang
Jeff ChangIn my elementary school years, everyone I knew around my age loved hip-hop. … I loved every aspect of the culture and tried my hand at all of it.—Rakim
—often used before another nounRakimthe hip-hop generation
Hip hop culture is a four-legged stool, its artistic pillars of deejaying, graffiti art, rapping, and b-boying coming into existence in the early 1970s and each influencing the ways in which the other evolved.—Jelani Cobb
Jelani CobbExamples of hip-hop in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Since hip-hop hit a market peak in 2020, it's been a slow decline ever since, the outlet reports.
—Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
There’s a couple hip-hop groups on the label but bands are a very in depth process.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2025
The baton that has passed from one hip-hop hit to another for more than three decades has been dropped.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
In advance of release day, Smith talked to Vogue across screens, time zones, and subjects, surveying the state of the world as easily as the history of hip-hop, being at the vanguard of Chappell Roan fandom, and the allure of New York City.
—Josh Zajdman, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hip-hop
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Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
There’s a couple hip-hop groups on the label but bands are a very in depth process.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2025
The baton that has passed from one hip-hop hit to another for more than three decades has been dropped.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
In advance of release day, Smith talked to Vogue across screens, time zones, and subjects, surveying the state of the world as easily as the history of hip-hop, being at the vanguard of Chappell Roan fandom, and the allure of New York City.
—Josh Zajdman, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hip-hop
Cite this Entry
“Hip-hop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hip-hop. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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