funnel-shaped receptacle; contents pass by gravity into a receptacle below
"The hopper at the bottom of the silo funneled grain directly into the truck waiting below."
a machine used for picking hops
"The farmer drove his hopper across the field to harvest the ripe hops before the rain arrived."
terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping
"The grasshopper, a common hopper, bounded across the field when it sensed danger from its enemies."
(baseball) a hit that travels along the ground
"The batter grounded out to shortstop on a hopper that rolled harmlessly past second base."
One who or that which hops.
"The street vendor served us steaming hoppers as breakfast, their bowl-shaped grills filled with the savory aroma of rice flour and coconut milk."
A Sri Lankan food made from a fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk, and palm toddy or yeast.
In plain English: A hopper is an animal that jumps around using its strong back legs, like grasshoppers and crickets.
"The kitchen hopper was overflowing with spilled flour."
Usage: Do not confuse this noun with "hopper" the insect; context usually clarifies whether you mean the Sri Lankan snack or an animal capable of jumping. In culinary discussions, ensure you distinguish it from similar rice-based dishes like hoppers (plural) versus the singular form used for specific servings.
A surname.
"The Hopper family has lived in that small town for three generations."
The word "hopper" comes from Old English hoppa, which originally meant "one who hops." It entered Middle English as an alteration of the term used for grasshoppers and is formed by adding a suffix to the verb meaning to jump.