sop

¹

[sop]

noun

1. a piece of solid food, as bread, for dipping in liquid food.

2. anything thoroughly soaked.

3. something given to pacify or quiet, or as a bribe.

   The political boss gave him some cash as a sop.

   Synonyms: payoff, gratuity, tip

4. a weak-willed or spineless person; milksop.

verb (used with object)

sopped, sopping 

1. to dip or soak in liquid food.

   to sop bread in gravy.

2. to drench.

3. to take up (liquid) by absorption (usually followed byup ).

   He used bread to sop up the gravy.

verb (used without object)

sopped, sopping 

1. to be or become soaking wet.

2. (of a liquid) to soak (usually followed byin ).

SOP

²

Or S.O.P.

abbreviation

1. Standard Operating Procedure; Standing Operating Procedure.

sop.

³

abbreviation

1. soprano.

sop

¹

/ sɒp /

noun

1. (often plural) food soaked in a liquid before being eaten

2. a concession, bribe, etc, given to placate or mollify

   a sop to one's feelings

3. informal,  a stupid or weak person

verb

1. (tr) to dip or soak (food) in liquid

2. to soak or be soaked

SOP

²

abbreviation

1. standard operating procedure

sop.

³

abbreviation

1. soprano

Word History and Origins

Origin of sop¹

First recorded before 1000; (for the noun) Middle English; Old English sopp; cognate with Old Norse soppa; verb derivative of the noun; sup ³

Origin of sop²

First recorded in 1940–45

Word History and Origins

Origin of sop¹

Old English sopp; related to Old Norse soppa _soup , Old High German sopfa milk with bread; see _sup ²

Example Sentences

The move is a sop to the political left as Mr. Lecornu struggles to maintain a grip on power he’s already lost once this month, and as his boss Mr. Macron clings to the presidency.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The tofu was cooked beautifully and sopped up the sauce incredibly well, with savory and herbaceous flavor notes of soy, sesame and cilantro permeating the protein.

Read more on Salon

The chewy morsels come sopping in soy sauce and flecked with chile flakes, with a rich and juicy meat filling.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The sop to Department of Government Efficiency figurehead and campaign financier Elon Musk came after the automaker's stock took a nosedive.

Read more on Salon

“This is widely seen as a sop to the anti-spending Freedom Caucus – but it’s not obviously enforceable in any way,” Bivens said.

Read more on Salon