drop
noun
- liquid medicine given in a dose or form of globules from a medicine dropper.
- a solution for dilating the pupils of the eyes, administered to the eyes in globules by a medicine dropper.
verb (used without object), dropped or dropt, drop·ping.
verb (used with object), dropped or dropt, drop·ping.
- to throw, shoot, hit, kick, or roll (a ball, puck, etc.) through or into a basket, hole, or other goal: He dropped the ball through the basket for two points.
- to lose (a game or contest): They dropped two games in a row and were eliminated from the tournament.
- to drop-kick (a ball).
- to score with a drop kick.
Verb Phrases
- to fall asleep.
- to decrease; decline: Sales have dropped off drastically.
- to withdraw from being a member or participant: to drop out of a club; to drop out of society and become a wanderer.
- to stop attending school or college.
Idioms
- to aim and be ready to shoot a gun at an antagonist before the other person's gun can be drawn.
- to get or have at a disadvantage.
Origin of drop
Related Words for at the drop of a hat
willingly, easily, freely, eagerly, promptly, gladly, immediately, cheerfully, lightly, smoothly, speedily, swimmingly, well, facilely, unhesitatinglydrop
noun
verb drops, dropping or dropped
noun, verb
Word Origin for drop
drop
Old English dropa "a drop of liquid," from Proto-Germanic *drupon (cf. Old Saxon dropo, Old Norse dropi, Dutch drop, Old High German tropfo, German Tropfen (n.)), from PIE *dhreu-.
Meaning "an act of dropping" is from 1630s; of immaterial things (prices, temperatures, etc.) from mid-19c. Meaning "lozenge, hard candy" is 1723. Meaning "secret place where things can be left illicitly and picked up later" is from 1931.
Drop in the bucket (late 14c.) is from Isa. ix:15 [KJV]. At the drop of a hat "suddenly" is from 1854; drop-in "casual visit" is 1819; drop-kick is 1857. To get the drop on someone originally was Old West gunslinger slang (1869).
drop
Old English dropian "to fall in drops" (see drop (n.)). Meaning "to fall vertically" is late 14c. Transitive sense "allow to fall" is mid-14c. Related: Dropped; dropping. Exclamation drop dead is from 1934; as an adjective meaning "stunning, excellent" it is first recorded 1970.
drop
n.
v.
at the drop of a hat
Immediately, without delay, as in We were ready to pack our bags and go on vacation at the drop of a hat. This phrase probably alludes to signaling the start of a race or other contest by dropping a hat. [Late 1800s]
drop
In addition to the idioms beginning with drop
- drop a bombshell
- drop a brick
- drop a dime
- drop a line
- drop back
- drop behind
- drop by
- drop dead
- drop in one's tracks
- drop in someone's lap
- drop in the bucket
- drop like a hot potato
- drop like flies
- drop names
- drop off
- drop out
- drop the ball
also see:
- at the drop of a hat
- bottom drops out of
- get the drop on
- hear a pin drop
- let drop
- wait for the other shoe to drop