dollop

American  

[dol-uhp] / ˈdɒl əp /

noun

1. a lump or blob of some substance.

   dollops of mud.

2. a small quantity.

   Add a dollop of soda water to the mixture.

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verb (used with object)

dollops, present (3rd person singular) dolloped, past participle, past dolloping present participle

1. to dispense in dollops.

   to dollop whipped cream over the cake.

dollop British  

/ ˈdɒləp /

noun

1. a semisolid lump

2. a large serving, esp of food

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verb

1. to serve out (food)

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have dolloped
  perfect
• has dolloped
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have been dolloping
  perfect progressive
• is dolloping
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been dolloping
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am dolloping
  progressive 1st person singular
• are dolloping
  progressive
• dollops
  singular 3rd person
• dolloping
  participle

Past

• had dolloped
  perfect
• was dolloping
  progressive singular
• were dolloping
  progressive plural
• had been dolloping
  perfect progressive
• dolloped
  simple
• dolloped
  participle

Future

• will dollop
  simple
• will have dolloped
  perfect
• will have been dolloping
  perfect progressive
• will be dolloping
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of dollop

1565–75; compare Icelandic dōlpur fat man, Norwegian (dial.) dolp lump

Explanation

A dollop is a small, indefinite amount of something. You might ask for a dollop of sour cream on your taco. English has many words for amounts of something that aren't exact. For example, a load is a lot of something, but a dollop is a little. If you're watching your weight, you may only want a dollop of dressing on your salad. Most people use a dollop of shampoo when washing their hair. You can't measure a dollop, but it should be a fairly small amount. If you use a whole bottle of ketchup, that's far more than a dollop.

Related Words

• glob
• gob