Definition

1. Noun:
   • An informal social dance event: A "record hop" is a casual, often youth-oriented, dance gathering where popular music is played from phonograph records. It is characterized by its informal atmosphere, as opposed to a formal ball or dance.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The high school organized a record hop in the gymnasium every Friday night.
  • At the 1950s record hop, teenagers danced to the latest rock and roll singles.

Advanced Usage

• The term "record hop" is strongly associated with the mid-20th century, particularly the 1950s and early 1960s, when playing records was the primary way to provide music for social dancing.
• It often implies a community or school-sponsored event with a simple setup, focusing on dancing to recorded music rather than a live band.

Variants and Related Words

• Sock hop (n): A very similar type of informal dance, often specifically held in a school gym where dancers removed their shoes to protect the floor. "Sock hop" is largely synonymous with "record hop."
• Dance (n): The general activity or event of moving rhythmically to music.
• Social (n): A general term for an informal gathering for conversation and entertainment.

Synonyms

• Sock hop: An informal dance where recorded music is played.
• Dance: A social gathering for dancing.

Related Phrases

• To hop: While the verb "to hop" means to jump lightly, in "record hop," the word "hop" is part of a fixed compound noun and does not function as a separate phrasal verb. The phrase describes the event itself.

Noun

1. an informal dance where popular music is played