clip-clop

UK/ˈklɪp.klɒp/US/ˈklɪp.klɔp/US/ˈklɪp.klɑːp//k͜ǃ.k͜ǃ/

noun

The sound of steps on hard ground, especially of a horse's hooves.

“Meronyms: clop, cloop”

Meanings

nounclip-clop (plural clip-clops)

plural clip-clops · alternative clip clop

  1. onomatopoeicThe sound of steps on hard ground, especially of a horse's hooves.

    Meronyms: clop, cloop

    4 more examples

    The wagon creaked, swayed, moved on to strange accompaniment— clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop. The horses were trotting on hard road.

    1925, Zane Grey, The Thundering Herd

    1984, Anthony C. Yu, tr. 吴承恩, 西游记 (Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West) http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0226971538&id=1q2jr5jttaUC&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=%22clip-clops%22&sig=AK8LZaIEHgK0n1Bxa7jLM3YK_Xo With loud clip-clops, several middle-aged women ran out from within to stare at the T’ang monk, grinning stupidly all the time.

    Suddenly I heard the familiar “clip-clop, clip-clop” of shower shoes coming up the path behind me—and a rapid pace it was.

    2001, Dave Zorn, Dinky Dau: Love, War, and the Corps

    2003, Ann Redisch Stampler, Something for Nothing http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0618159827&id=F6U_tU8-FFkC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=clip-clop&sig=bhYqdn7LQFMg6a0BuBGFIgpnP2E All night long, Dog heard the clip-clop of horses hauling the wagons to market.

verbclip-clop (third-person singular simple present clip-clops, present participle clip-clopping, simple past and past participle clip-clopped)

present singular third person clip-clops · participle present clip-clopping · participle past clip-clopped · past clip-clopped · alternative clip clop

  1. To make a clip-clop noise.

    2002, D J Vallone, For the Love of Freedom http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0595226183&id=xKV1VCsAwZIC&pg=PA92&lpg=PA92&dq=%22clip-clops%22&sig=-LkO8mWX7qKZGvv2vcIXOHpIqYM One of several pairs of mounted police in flak jackets clip-clops past, patrolling the perimeter.

    2 more examples

    At the some moment, a horse clip-clops past, hauling a wagon.

    1999, Mary Downing Hahn, Anna All Year Round

    There was a single arrivals platform, nearest to King's Cross. The large arch beneath the clock gave access to Hansom carriages clip-clopping up the cobbled ramp from the main gate in Euston Road, directly onto the platform, to meet well-to-do passengers.

    2023 August 23, Nigel Harris, “Comment: End damaging drift at Euston”, in RAIL, number 990, page 3

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe sound of a horse's hoofs hitting on a hard surface

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Onomatopoeia for two footsteps in succession.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic حَبَطَقْطَقْ
  • حَبَطَقْطَقْ (ḥabaṭaqṭaq)Onomatopoeia
Basque txalaparta
  • txalapartaOnomatopoeia
French cataclop, tagada
  • cataclopOnomatopoeia
  • tagadaOnomatopoeia
Italian zoccolata, zoccolare
  • zoccolataOnomatopoeia
  • zoccolareTranslations
Japanese ド ド
  • ド ド (dodo)Onomatopoeia
Māori pakopakō (Of horsehooves), pakopakō (Of horsehooves)
  • pakopakō (Of horsehooves)Onomatopoeia
  • pakopakō (Of horsehooves)Translations
Portuguese pocotó, fazer pocotó
  • pocotóOnomatopoeia
  • fazer pocotóTranslations
Russian цо́канье, цо́кать
  • цо́канье (cókanʹje)Onomatopoeia
  • цо́кать (cókatʹ)Translations
Scottish Gaelic ligidh leagaidh
  • ligidh leagaidhOnomatopoeia
Spanish trápala
  • trápalaOnomatopoeia
Turkish dıgıdık
  • dıgıdıkOnomatopoeia
Vietnamese lộp cộp, lọc cọc
  • lộp cộpOnomatopoeia
  • lọc cọcOnomatopoeia
Cite this entry
APA

clip-clop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clip-clop

MLA

“clip-clop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clip-clop. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clip-clop,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clip-clop.

Source: clip-clop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.