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copping

[kop-ing]
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noun
  1. the winding of yarn into a cap from a cone, bobbin, etc.
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Origin of copping

First recorded in 1785–95; cop2 + -ing1
Also called quilling.

cop1

[kop]
verb (used with object), copped, cop·ping. Informal.
  1. to catch; nab.
  2. to steal; filch.
  3. to buy (narcotics).
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Verb Phrases
  1. cop out,
    1. to avoid one's responsibility, the fulfillment of a promise, etc.; renege; back out (often followed by on or of): He never copped out on a friend in need. You agreed to go, and you can't cop out now.
    2. cop a plea.
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Idioms
  1. cop a plea,
    1. to plead guilty or confess in return for receiving a lighter sentence.
    2. to plead guilty to a lesser charge as a means of bargaining one's way out of standing trial for a more serious charge; plea-bargain.
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Origin of cop1

1695–1705; compare cap (obsolete) to arrest, Scots cap to seize ≪ dialectal Old French caper to take, ultimately < Latin capere
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

capturebustseizeembezzlemisappropriateborrowconfiscatesecuretakeretrievewinattainhaverecovergleanaccessachievereachprocuregain

Examples from the Web for copping

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Copping, it was testified, was the writer of this remarkable agreement.

  • Mr. Copping seems to like their situation the best of all the rooms I showed him.'

    The Dictator

    Justin McCarthy

  • Copping answered all unconsciously in the words of Lady Macbeth.

    The Dictator

    Justin McCarthy

  • Mr. Copping had much power of self-control, but he did seem to start at this news.

    The Dictator

    Justin McCarthy

  • Weve got the jump on the other fellows by copping the first game, said Robson.

British Dictionary definitions for copping

cop1

noun
  1. another name for policeman
  2. British an arrest (esp in the phrase a fair cop)
  3. an instance of plagiarism
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verb cops, copping or copped (tr)
  1. to seize or catch
  2. to steal
  3. to buy, steal, or otherwise obtain (illegal drugs)Compare score (def. 26)
  4. Also: cop it to suffer (a punishment)you'll cop a clout if you do that!
  5. cop it sweet Australian slang
    1. to accept a penalty without complaint
    2. to have good fortune
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See also cop off, cop out

Word Origin

C18: (vb) perhaps from obsolete cap to arrest, from Old French caper to seize; sense 1, back formation from copper ²

cop2

noun
  1. a conical roll of thread wound on a spindle
  2. mainly dialect the top or crest, as of a hill
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Word Origin

Old English cop, copp top, summit, of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Old English copp cup

cop3

noun
  1. British slang (usually used with a negative) worth or valuethat work is not much cop
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Word Origin

C19: n use of cop 1 (in the sense: to catch, hence something caught, something of value)

COP

abbreviation for (in New Zealand)
  1. Certificate of Proficiency: a pass in a university subject
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for copping

cop

v.

1704, northern British dialect, "to seize, to catch," perhaps ultimately from Middle French caper "seize, to take," from Latin capere "to take" (see capable); or from Dutch kapen "to take," from Old Frisian capia "to buy," which is related to Old English ceapian (see cheap). Related: Copped; copping.

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cop

n.

"policeman," 1859, abbreviation of earlier copper (n.2), 1846, from cop (v.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper