Entry · catalog no. 4715
cop
/ — /pending
verb · nationwide · 2026
✓ Verified
1.
To get, obtain, or acquire — whether by buying, taking, catching, or winning.
“I'm about to cop a new pair of J's this weekend.”
Origin & Attribution
Black street and jazz vernacular of the early-to-mid twentieth century, from older 'cop' meaning to grab or seize. Documented in the Harlem jive handbooks of the 1940s.
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
Nationwide / diaspora
nationwide · 2026
Spoken by
nationwide
$COPThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Rising0 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
12/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
2026
in the culture
Recorded here
2026
point of first record
Cultural energy indexed from documented usage, search interest, and citation frequency. The recorded date is the archive’s permanent point of record.
Hear it spoken
By region — how it actually sounds
@auntiereg
Atlanta, GA
@deltasoul
Memphis, TN
Contribute your pronunciation
Citations & Sources
■
Dan Burley — Original Handbook of Harlem Jive · 1944
submitted
■
+ Cite a sourceGreen's Dictionary of Slang — reference
submitted
See also