corn having small ears and kernels that burst when exposed to dry heat
"The old-fashioned popcorn maker was designed specifically for corn having small ears and kernels that burst when exposed to dry heat."
small kernels of corn exploded by heat
"The hot air popped every single kernel into fluffy popcorn inside the microwave."
A snack food made from corn/maize kernels popped by dry heating.
"She opened a fresh bag of popcorn to enjoy during the movie."
In plain English: Popcorn is fluffy, white corn kernels that burst open when heated until they become crunchy snacks.
"We bought a large bucket of popcorn to eat while watching the movie."
Usage: Use popcorn as an uncountable noun when referring to the snack itself, such as "a bowl of popcorn." When used as a verb in informal contexts like "popcorn out," it describes standing up suddenly rather than making noise.
to stand up or jump up quickly.
"The crowd popped up from their seats as the movie began."
In plain English: To popcorn means to suddenly burst open and expand when heated, just like how movie theater corn kernels do.
"She decided to pop popcorn on the stove instead of buying bags at the store."
The word popcorn is simply a shortened form of the phrase "popped corn." It entered English by combining two existing words to describe kernels that have been heated until they burst open.