Dictionary

drop

Pronunciation

(RP) enPR: drŏp, IPA: /dɹɒp/
(America) enPR: drŏp, IPA: /dɹɑp/, [d͡ʒɹɑp]

Etymology 1

From Late Middle English droppe, Middle English drope [and other forms], from Old English dropa, from Proto-West Germanic *dropō, from Proto-Germanic *drupô, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewb-.

Noun

drop (plural drops)

(also, figuratively) A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.
Put three drops of oil into the mixture.
1. (pharmacology) A dose of liquid medicine in the form of a drop (sense 1).
2. (pharmacology, chiefly, in the plural) A liquid medicine that is intended to be administered in drops (sense 1).
  ear drops eye drops
(figuratively) A very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.
My aunt asked for just a drop more tea.
He was thirsty but there wasn’t a drop of water to be found
They didn’t show a drop of remorse
1. (chiefly, Australia, Britain) A small amount of an alcoholic beverage.
  He usually enjoys a drop after dinner. She won’t touch a drop while she’s on duty.
2. (chiefly, Britain) Usually preceded by the: alcoholic spirits in general.
  It doesn’t matter where you’re from, anyone who enjoys the drop is a friend of mine.
3. (Ireland, informal) A single measure of whisky.
That which hangs or resembles a liquid globule, such as a hanging diamond earring or ornament, a glass pendant on a chandelier, etc.
1. Often preceded by a defining word: a small, round piece of hard candy, such as a lemon drop; a lozenge.
2. (architecture) An ornament resembling a pendant; a gutta.
A thing which drops or hangs down.
1. The cover mounted on a swivel over a keyhole that rests over the keyhole when not in use to keep out debris, but is swiveled out of the way before inserting the key.
2. (agriculture) A fruit which has fallen off a tree, etc., or has been knocked off accidentally, rather than picked.
3. (American football) A dropped pass.
  Yet another drop for the Tiger tight end.
4. (law enforcement) A trapdoor on a gallows; a gallows itself.
5. (online gaming, video games) An item made available for the player to pick up from the remains of a defeated enemy.
6. (technology)
  1. A mechanism for lowering something, such as a machine for lowering heavy weights on to a ship's deck, or a device for temporarily lowering a gas jet, etc.
  2. Short for drop hammer and drop press.
7. (theater) A curtain which falls in front of a theatrical stage; also, a section of (cloth) scenery lowered on to the stage like a curtain.
An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
1. An act of moving downwards under the force of gravity; a descent, a fall.
  That was a long drop, but fortunately I didn’t break any bones.
2. An instance of making a delivery of people, supplies, or things, especially by parachute out of an aircraft (an airdrop), but also by truck, etc.
  The delivery driver has to make three more drops before lunch.
  The spy made the drop, leaving the plans under the tree as arranged.
  - 2020, Arlana Crane, Mordecai's Ashes:
    That was how a drug deal went down? […] Karl shook his head and pulled away from the curb, heading for his next drop and feeling distinctly uncomfortable about the mass of cash now keeping the drugs in his bags company.
3. A release (of music, a video game, etc).
4. (gambling) The amount of money that a gambler exchanges for chips in a casino.
5. (law enforcement, informal) Preceded by the: execution by hanging.
6. (sports)
  1. Usually preceded by the: relegation from one division to a lower one.
  2. (American football) Short for drop-back.
    The Tiger quarterback took a one-step drop, expecting his tight end to be open.
  3. (pinball) Short for drop target.
  4. (rugby) Short for drop kick.
  5. (golf) Short for drop shot.
7. (US, banking, dated) An unsolicited credit card issue.
A decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate.
The drop in demand for oil resulted in a drop in prices.
1. (sewing)
  1. Of men's clothes: the difference between the chest circumference and waist circumference.
  2. Of women's clothes: the difference between the bust circumference and hip circumference.
The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
1. The distance below a cliff or other high position through which someone or something could fall; hence, a steep slope.
  On one side of the road was a 50-foot drop.
2. The vertical length of a hanging curtain.
3. (engineering) The distance of the axis of a shaft below the base of a hanger.
4. (law enforcement) The distance that a person drops when being executed by hanging.
5. (nautical) The depth of a (square) sail (generally applied to the courses only); the vertical dimension of a sail.
A place where items or supplies may be left for others to collect, whether openly (as with a mail drop), or secretly or illegally (as in crime or espionage); a drop-off point.
I left the plans at the drop, like you asked.
(informal) Only used in get the drop on, have the drop on An advantage.
(music) A point in a song, usually electronic music such as dubstep, house, trance, or trap, where there is a very noticeable and pleasing change in bass, tempo, and/or overall tone; a climax, a highlight.

Translations

French: goutte, larme
German: Tropfen
Italian: goccia
Portuguese: gota
Russian: ка́пля
Spanish: gota

Translations

German: Bonbon, (sour) Drops
Portuguese: dropes
Russian: драже́

Translations

Portuguese: drop

Translations

French: chute
German: Fall, Sturz
Italian: caduta
Portuguese: queda
Russian: паде́ние
Spanish: caída

Translations

German: Abstieg

Translations

French: vide
German: Abfall, Absturz
Italian: dislivello, ribasso, salto
Russian: обры́в
Spanish: declive, descenso

Translations

German: der tote Briefkasten
Russian: тайни́к

Etymology 2

From Middle English droppen, dropen [and other forms], from Old English dropian, droppian, from dropa (see further at etymology 1) + -ian.

Verb

drop (drops, present participle dropping; simple past and past participle dropped)

(intransitive) Of a liquid: to fall in drops or droplets. [from 11th c.]
- 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Nouember. Ægloga Vndecima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC ↗, folio 44, verso ↗:
  The kindlye dewe drops from the higher tree, / And wets the little plants that lowly dwell.
(intransitive, also, figuratively) To fall (straight down) under the influence of gravity, like a drop of liquid. [from 14th c.]
A single shot was fired and the bird dropped from the sky.
(intransitive) To fall or sink quickly or suddenly to the ground. [from 15th c.]
Drop and give me thirty push-ups, private!
If your clothes are on fire, stop, drop and roll.
(intransitive) To collapse in exhaustion or injury; also, to fall dead, or to fall in death.
(intransitive) To fall into a particular condition or state.
(intransitive) To come to an end (by not being kept up); to lapse, to stop. [from 17th c.]
- 1897 October 16, Henry James, chapter X, in What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC ↗, page 108 ↗:
  When he again found privacy consistent, however—and it happened to be long in coming—he took up their conversation very much where it had dropped.
(intransitive) To decrease, diminish, or lessen in condition, degree, value, etc. [from 18th c.]
The stock dropped 1.5% yesterday.
We can take our vacation when the price of fuel drops.
Watch for the temperature to drop sharply, then you’ll know the reaction is complete.
The equipment shows how much the glacier has moved and the amount it dropped in height over the summer.
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXXVII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗, page 296 ↗:
  This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.
1. (intransitive) Of a song or sound: to lower in key, pitch, tempo, or other quality.
  My synthesizer makes the notes sound funny when they drop below C2.
  The song, 180 beats per minute, drops to 150 BPM near the end.
2. (intransitive) Of a voice: to lower in timbre, often due to puberty.
  Billy’s voice dropped suddenly when he turned 12.
(intransitive) To fall behind or to the rear of a group of people, etc., as a result of not keeping up with those at the front.
(intransitive) Usually followed by by, in, or into: of a person: to visit someone or somewhere informally or without a prior appointment.
Do drop by soon and I’ll lend you that book.
We’ll drop in on her tomorrow.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC ↗, page 2 ↗:
  He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. I look upon notoriety with the same indifference as on the buttons on a man's shirt-front, or the crest on his note-paper.
(intransitive, computing, music, television, colloquial) Of a programme, software, a music album or song, etc.: to enter public distribution.
The album Hip-Hop Xmas dropped in time for the holidays.
(intransitive, gambling) To drop out of the betting.
- 1990, Stewart Wolpin, The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle, page 219:
  But more important, if I dropped, Marty would have won the hand automatically.
(intransitive, physiology, informal) Of the testicles: to hang further away from the body and begin producing sperm due to puberty.
(intransitive, obsolete) To let drops fall; to discharge itself in drops.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Psalms 68:8 ↗:
  The heavens […] dropped at the presence of God.
(transitive) To drip (a liquid) in drops or small amounts. [from 14th c.]
- 1759–1767, [Laurence Sterne], The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume (please specify |volume=I to IX), London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […]:
  The recording angel, as he wrote it down, dropped a tear upon the word and blotted it out forever.
- 1892, Walt Whitman, “(please specify the poem name)”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], →OCLC ↗:
  persons, dropping sweat-drops or blood-drops
(transitive, ergative, also, figuratively) To let (something) fall; to allow (something) to fall (either by releasing hold of, or losing one's grip on). [from 14th c.]
Don’t drop that plate! The police ordered the men to drop their weapons.
(transitive) To move to a lower position; to allow to hang downwards; to lower.
1. To quickly lower or take down (one's trousers), especially in public.
2. (cooking) To cook (food, especially fast food), particularly by lowering into hot oil to deep-fry, or by grilling.
  Drop a basket of fries.
(transitive) To reduce; to make smaller.
- 2011, Alexander Mamishev, Sean Williams, Technical Writing for Teams: The STREAM Tools Handbook, page 64:
  Here is a simple example: suppose you are in the process of writing a 15-page proposal and at a certain point you decide that, in order to fit all your material, you want to drop the font size from 12 to 11.
(transitive) Of an animal (usually a sheep): to give birth to (young); of a bird: to lay (an egg).
to drop a lamb
(transitive) To mention (something) casually or incidentally, usually in conversation. [from 17th c.]
The lecturer would drop hints whenever the students struggled.
name drop
(transitive) To let (a letter, etc.) fall into a postbox; hence, to send (a letter, email, or other message) in an offhand manner. [from 18th c.]
As she had a free moment, she dropped her a text.
Drop me a note when you get to the city.
(transitive) To make (someone or something) fall to the ground from a blow, gunshot, etc.; to bring down, to shoot down; to kill. [from 18th c.]
Make any sudden movements and I will drop you!
That gang rules the streets, dropping opponents with guns, bombs and other weapons.
- 1846, ed. by G. W. Nickisson, “Elephant-Shooting in Ceylon”, in Fraser's Magazine, vol. XXXIII, no. CXCVII
  page 562 ↗: ...if the first shot does not drop him, and he rushes on, the second will be a very hurried and most likely ineffectual one...
  page 568 ↗ ...with a single shot he dropped him like a master of the art.
- 1992, Dan Parkinson, Dust on the Wind, page 164
  With a quick clench of the fist on Joey's throat, Bodie dropped him. The man crumpled to the ground […]
(transitive) To set down (someone or something) from a vehicle; to stop and deliver or deposit (someone or something); to drop off.
Could you drop me at the airport on your way to work tomorrow?
I’ll be dropping the parcel at your place later.
(transitive) To lower (a sound, a voice, etc.) in pitch or volume.
1. (transitive, music) To tune (a guitar string, etc.) to a lower note.
(transitive) To cease concerning oneself over (someone or something); to have nothing more to do with (a discussion, subject, etc.). [from 17th c.]
I’m tired of this subject. Will you just drop it?
- 1815 February 23, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC ↗:
  The connection had been dropped many years.
- 1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC ↗:
  that astonishing ease with which fine ladies drop you and pick you up again
(transitive) To dispose or get rid of (something); to lose, to remove.
I dropped ten pounds and an obnoxious fiancée.
(transitive) To cease to include (something), as if on a list; to dismiss, to eject, to expel.
I’ve been dropped from the football team.
(transitive) To cancel or cease to participate in (a scheduled course, event, or project).
I had to drop calculus because it was taking up too much of my time.
(transitive, slang)
1. To lose, spend, or otherwise part with (money). [from 17th c.]
  - 1949, The Atlantian, volume 8, Atlanta: United States Penitentiary, page 41:
    The question was: Who put the most in the collection box? The wealthy guy, who dropped a “C” note, or the tattered old dame who parted with her last tarnished penny.
  - 2000, Lisa Reardon, Blameless: A Novel, Random House, page 221:
    I forked over the $19.25. I was in no position to be dropping twenties like gumdrops but I deserved something good from this crappy morning.
2. To pass or use (counterfeit cheques, money, etc.).
3. To impart (something).
  I drop knowledge wherever I go.
4. Especially in drop acid: to swallow (a drug, particularly LSD). [from 20th c.]
(transitive, computing, music, television, colloquial) To release (a programme, software, a music album or song, etc.) to the public.
They dropped the album Hip-Hop Xmas in time for the holidays.
That hacker has been threatening to drop my docs [i.e. publish my personal information].
(transitive, linguistics) To fail to write, or (especially) to pronounce (a syllable, letter, etc.). [from 19th c.]
Cockneys drop their aitches.
(transitive, music)
1. To play (a portion of music) in the manner of a disc jockey.
  I love it when he drops his funky beats.
  That guy can drop the bass like a monster.
2. To perform (rap music).
  Yo, I drop rhymes like nobody’s business.
(transitive, sports)
1. (originally, US) To (unexpectedly) lose (a competition, game, etc.).
2. (cricket) Of a fielder: to fail to dismiss (a batsman) by accidentally dropping a batted ball that had initially been caught.
  Warne dropped Tendulkar on 99. Tendulkar went on to get a century next ball.
3. (rugby) To score (a goal) by means of a drop kick.
(transitive, archaic) To cover (something) with or as if with drops, especially of a different colour; to bedrop, to variegate.
- 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗:
  their waved coats dropped with gold
(intransitive, computing) To enter a more basic interface.
Next, you drop to a shell.
(transitive, computing) To present (the user) with a more basic interface.
The next step drops the user to a recovery shell.