loop

¹ American  

[loop] / lup /

noun

1. a portion of a cord, ribbon, etc., folded or doubled upon itself so as to leave an opening between the parts.

2. anything shaped more or less like a closed curve, as a line drawn on paper, a part of a letter or other symbol, a part of a path, or a line of motion.

3. a curved piece or a ring of metal, wood, or the like, used for the insertion of something, as a handle, etc.

4. intrauterine device.

5. Aeronautics. a maneuver executed by an airplane in such a manner that the airplane describes a closed curve in a vertical plane.

6. a circular area at the end of a trolley line, railroad line, etc., where cars turn around.

7. an arm of a cloverleaf where traffic may turn off or onto a main road or highway.

8. Physics. the part of a vibrating string, column of air or other medium, etc., between two adjacent nodes.

9. Electricity. a closed electric or magnetic circuit.

10. Computers. the reiteration of a set of instructions in a routine or program.

11. a wire, usually of platinum, one end of which is curved to form a loop, used for transferring microorganisms from one medium to another.

12. a sandbar that encloses or nearly encloses a body of water.

13. Figure Skating. a school figure in which a skater traces a large half circle, a small oval within its arc, and another large half circle to complete the figure while remaining on the same skating edge.

14. the Loop, the main business district of Chicago.

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verb (used with object)

loops, present (3rd person singular) looped, past participle, past looping present participle

1. to form into a loop.

   The first step is to loop the rope into a circle about the size of a dinner plate.

2. to make a loop in.

   Sometimes the hose gets looped in such a way as to inadvertently make a knot.

3. to enfold or encircle in or with something arranged in a loop.

   I’m always looping my finger in with the yarn when I’m winding it into a ball.

4. to fasten by forming into a loop, or by means of something formed into a loop (often followed byup ).

   to loop up the new draperies.

5. to cause (a missile or projectile) to trace a looping or looplike trajectory through the air.

   to loop a grenade into the building.

6. to fly (an airplane) in a loop or series of loops.

7. to connect (conductors) in the shape of a loop within a closed electric or magnetic circuit.

8. Movies. to complete by recording dialogue, sound effects, etc., onto an existing film track or soundtrack.

   We still have to loop the final scenes.

verb (used without object)

loops, present (3rd person singular) looped, past participle, past looping present participle

1. to make or form a loop.

   The river loops around the two counties.

2. to move by forming loops, as an inchworm does.

   The little green caterpillar looping along the leaf’s edge is the larva of a geometrid moth.

3. to trace a looping or looplike path through the air.

   The fly ball looped high in the air.

4. to perform a loop or series of loops in an airplane.

5. Movies. to record dialogue, sound effects, etc., onto an existing film track or soundtrack.

idioms

1. in the loop, among those who receive the latest information about something.

   If it’s anything pertaining to his test results, please keep me in the loop.

2. out of the loop, excluded from those who receive the latest information about something.

   She’s often out of the loop on policy decisions.

3. throw / knock for a loop, to astonish or upset.

   Her quitting the project really threw me for a loop.

loop ² American  

[loop] / lup /

noun

Archaic.

1. a small or narrow opening, as in a wall; loophole.

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loop ³ American  

[loop] / lup /

noun

Metalworking.

1. a hot bloom of pasty consistency, to be worked under a hammer or in rolls.

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loop ¹ British  

/ luːp /

noun

1. the round or oval shape formed by a line, string, etc, that curves around to cross itself

2. any round or oval-shaped thing that is closed or nearly closed

3. a piece of material, such as string, curved round and fastened to form a ring or handle for carrying by

4. an intrauterine contraceptive device in the shape of a loop

5. electronics

   1. a closed electric or magnetic circuit through which a signal can circulate

   2. short for loop aerial

6. a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft flies one complete circle in the vertical plane

7. Also called: loop line.  a railway branch line which leaves the main line and rejoins it after a short distance

8. maths physics a closed curve on a graph

   hysteresis loop

9. another name for antinode

10. anatomy

    1. the most common basic pattern of the human fingerprint, formed by several sharply rising U-shaped ridges Compare arch 1 whorl

    2. a bend in a tubular structure, such as the U-shaped curve in a kidney tubule ( Henle's loop or loop of Henle )

11. computing a series of instructions in a program, performed repeatedly until some specified condition is satisfied

12. skating a jump in which the skater takes off from a back outside edge, makes one, two, or three turns in the air, and lands on the same back outside edge

13. a group of people to whom information is circulated (esp in the phrases in or out of the loop )

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verb

1. (tr) to make a loop in or of (a line, string, etc)

2. (tr) to fasten or encircle with a loop or something like a loop

3. Also: loop the loop.  to cause (an aircraft) to perform a loop or (of an aircraft) to perform a loop

4. (intr) to move in loops or in a path like a loop

loop ² British  

/ luːp /

noun

1. an archaic word for loophole

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loop More Idioms  

1. see in the loop; knock for a loop.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• looping
  present
• looped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• loop
  simple
• loops
  simple
• have looped
  perfect
• has looped
  perfect
• am looping
  progressive
• are looping
  progressive
• is looping
  progressive
• have been looping
  perfect progressive
• has been looping
  perfect progressive

Past

• looped
  simple
• had looped
  perfect
• was looping
  progressive
• were looping
  progressive
• had been looping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will loop
  simple
• will have looped
  perfect
• will be looping
  progressive
• will have been looping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of loop¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loupe “loop of cloth,” of uncertain origin; probably from Middle Irish, Old Irish lúb “bend, fold, loop”; perhaps akin to leap ( def. )

Origin of loop²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loupe, loup “loophole”; compare Middle Dutch lūpen “lie in wait, peep, peer”

Origin of loop³

First recorded in 1665–75; from French loupe, special use of loupe “wen, knob, gnarl,” ultimately from Germanic; see loupe

Explanation

A loop is a roundish, coiled shape, like the shape a piece of string or rope makes when it crosses itself. To start knitting, you need to put a loop of yarn on the end of one of your needles. Loops are ovals or circles and are often made from rope or other fibers, like the loop at the end of a cowboy's lasso. The verb loop means to form the shape of a loop in the sky; or to make a loop from string or some other material. If something "throws you for a loop," it catches you by surprise, and if you're "in the loop," you have access to information that others might not have.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loop loops looped looping

It created about 15 minutes of work for me a day, but the jump-scare messages from my boss did stop as she felt more in the loop, so I considered that a win.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

That is the way out of the discourse doom loop and into the solution.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos must put that scene on a loop every night to help him fall asleep.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

Materials, like symbols, are recycled across sculptures and tableaux in an inexhaustible loop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Halfway around the loop, I realize there’s no way I can keep up this tempo.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

They also intend to develop new technologies for measuring neural activity to better understand how feedback loops emerge and coordinate different levels of brain processing.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

For capital importers like the U.S., to which foreigners have exposures of around $30 trillion, falling asset prices will be amplified by currency weakness as investors exit — creating adverse feedback loops and financing pressures.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

He meets Janine, his equal in appetite and id, sending him into a tailspin of yearning and loops of Sky Ferreira’s “Everything Is Embarrassing” on sadboi walks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

The pit-lane speed limit is measured by using a series of timing loops and the time taken to travel a specific distance along the pit lane.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

I show her the loops near the waist for weapons and how to secure the waist ties and extra strings at the ankles.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

After getting as close to the White House as security checkpoints would allow, I looped back toward the Capitol building.

From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026

Humeau's work examines the history of the earth and imagined future worlds via sculptures that include references to specific natural species and are accompanied by a looped cycle of light and sound.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

One interesting thing about the latest selling round is how it has looped in software providers previously thought safe from AI disruption.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

It has the feel of a soothingly looped AI screen saver, a trance-inducing spell where nothing matters so long as your high heels aren’t hurting your feet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2026

Angela whispered, bending down to pick up looped coils from the floor of the cave.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Every summer, lawns fill with colorful "silly sprinklers," whose looping and twisting tubes send water spraying in unusual patterns.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

That left open the possibility that sprinklers with more complicated forms, including the curved and looping tubes found in silly sprinklers, might behave differently.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

They injected urgency far too late but could still have clinched the win, with substitute Nico O'Reilly heading against the woodwork and Marc Guehi's looping header being cleared off the line.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Only a few years ago, he was a mystery, this international big man from Paris with an ectomorphic frame, graceful moves and a gentle, looping teardrop of a jump shot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

Behind us, what should have been a celebration of a new High King continues: the shrieking, the feasting, the whirling around in endless looping dances.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• bend
• curl
• curve
• twist