clop

Everyday

1. (noun) The hollow knocking sound of a horse's hooves on a hard road. tree →
2. (verb) To walk making that sound, like a horse on cobbles, or a person in hard heavy shoes. tree →

In the lessons

In stories it is an onomatopoeia — a word that sounds like what it means — telling the reader a horse is coming. Often doubled: «clip-clop», «clop, clop, clop».

Examples

• Clip-clop, clip-clop went the pony down the lane. tree →
• We heard the clop of hooves outside the window. tree →
• The horse clopped slowly across the cobbled square. tree →
• My little sister clopped around in Mum's high heels. tree →
• Clop, clop — the milk cart came round the corner. tree →
• The donkey's hooves clopped on the stones. tree →
• In the poem, the clop of the horse woke the village. tree →

Note

Past form «clopped», «-ing» form «clopping» (double p). An example of onomatopoeia, like «buzz» and «splash». «Clip-clop» is the most common form in children's books.