plop
Americanverb (used without object)
-
plops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
plopped,
past participle, past
-
plopping
present participle
-
to make a sound like that of something falling or dropping into water.
A frog plopped into the pond.
-
to fall with such a sound.
Big raindrops plopped against the window.
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to drop or fall with full force or direct impact.
He plopped into a chair.
verb (used with object)
-
plops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
plopped,
past participle, past
-
plopping
present participle
-
to drop or set down heavily.
She plopped her books on the desk.
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to cause to plop.
The fisherman plopped the bait into the river.
noun
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plops
plural
-
a plopping sound or fall.
-
the act of plopping.
adverb
noun
verb
interjection
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
plopsimple
-
plopssimple
-
have ploppedperfect
-
has ploppedperfect
-
am ploppingprogressive
-
are ploppingprogressive
-
is ploppingprogressive
-
have been ploppingperfect progressive
-
has been ploppingperfect progressive
Past
-
ploppedsimple
-
had ploppedperfect
-
was ploppingprogressive
-
were ploppingprogressive
-
had been ploppingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of plop
First recorded in 1815–25; imitative
Explanation
To plop is to drop something (or yourself) with a short sound. The sound itself is also a plop — like something landing in water without much of a splash. The sound of a plop is abrupt and hollow — you could also call it a plunk or a or a plonk. You might plop an ice cube in your glass of water, or watch a flock of bird plop themselves on the surface of a pond. Plop is imitative or onomatopoeic (it sounds like its meaning), and it first appeared in the 1820s after the brief popularity of the alternative word plap.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"He started coming to some of our gigs, and would plop itself on to one of our seats."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Chandor isn’t sure what she’d do if Chonkers tried to plop down somewhere else.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
But since they’re immortal, they can simply reattach their own limbs and plop their heads back in place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
“You don’t take somebody from the industrials world and plop them in a media company,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
After a while, my arms get tired, so I plop down on one of the beanbag chairs.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
F1 picks up the paddock—the behind-the-scenes village of garages and other infrastructure—and plops it in Singapore without changing the clocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
If, say, a housing development plops down where you live, you are forced to wander.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Brosnahan: There’s a direction that says “Midge plops on the couch.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2023
Wednesday plops him amidst his least hostile interviewers yet: his daughter Willow, a regular "Red Table Talk" co-host, alongside his sons Jaden and Trey.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2022
“We’re not going to win,” Joon scoffs, but he plops down on the sofa anyway.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
In 1941, the whole house was put on rollers, pushed up a steep hill and plopped onto a foundation of beach sand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The ball bounced off the opposing outfielder’s glove and plopped over the wall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Her son Victor, 11, plopped onto the sidewalk to read his Imagination Library edition of "Llama Llama Red Pajama," a family favorite.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Things are being plopped down,” said Birnbaum, whose organization sued the administration over the repainting of the Reflecting Pool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
My mother plopped some mashed potatoes on her plate.
From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli
You can pace around the living room when you’re watching TV instead of plopping down on the couch.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
For solo travelers or couples, that means plopping down next to strangers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
By plopping modern medicine on the exam table, O’Sullivan offers a thought-provoking challenge to our common assumptions about the importance of early and accurate diagnosis.
From Salon ● May 13, 2025
“I remember this smell,” he says, plopping down on a ratty sofa beneath a faded oil painting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024
Mustafa joins a few minutes later, plopping down on our beat-up leather sofa next to Yusuf.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
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