droop
Americanverb (used without object)
-
droops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
drooped,
past participle, past
-
drooping
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
droops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
drooped,
past participle, past
-
drooping
present participle
noun
verb
-
to sag or allow to sag, as from weakness or exhaustion; hang down; sink
-
(intr) to be overcome by weariness; languish; flag
-
(intr) to lose courage; become dejected
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
droopsimple
-
droopssimple
-
have droopedperfect
-
has droopedperfect
-
am droopingprogressive
-
are droopingprogressive
-
is droopingprogressive
-
have been droopingperfect progressive
-
has been droopingperfect progressive
Past
-
droopedsimple
-
had droopedperfect
-
was droopingprogressive
-
were droopingprogressive
-
had been droopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of droop
1300–50; Middle English drupen, drowpen < Old Norse drūpa; akin to drop
Explanation
To droop is to limply or loosely hang downward. Have you ever seen the long, floppy ears of a basset hound hanging down? Those ears are drooping. When things droop, they're loose and hanging down. On a day without wind, a flag will droop. If you are sad or embarrassed, your head might droop a little. Evidently, drooping your head when you’re feeling down is something people have been doing for a long time. Droop is also related to the words drop and drip.
Vocabulary lists containing droop
How Low Can You Go? Synonyms for "Downward"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Face Facts: The Science of Facial Expressions" and "Silent Language"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Four Skinny Trees"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Its floppy feathers droop from the ceiling and stretch out across the ground, dominating the gallery after seeming to have deflated midflight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
These cables are made of metal, which expands in heat, causing the lines to droop.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
It’s as if, when Early dons Maddie’s blonde wig, complete with perfectly placed flyaways that droop into his face, he is neither himself nor the character, but every woman.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The shrub — reportedly named for leaves that can droop and coil like poodle fur — primarily grows in Southern California in chaparral between roughly 3,300 to 7,500 feet, on granitic slopes and ridges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2025
Gareth held the King’s hand tighter, and began to droop his head.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
The split between the two companies points to a so-called K-shaped economy —named that way because the upper arm rises while the lower arm droops.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
But the point of his cowl hood droops behind his head, perhaps from the sheer weight of finding out he’s died.
From New York Times ● May 23, 2024
You can check this by stopping the mixer, detaching the whisk attachment or beater and turning it upside down: If the meringue droops down just at the top, you’re good to go.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2023
It droops under its own weight, a turquoise hyacinth in bloom on the first day of spring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
She has uncombed stringy hair that droops on her shoulders.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Mark's speech started to go, and one side of his face drooped - classic stroke symptoms.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2025
Jackie, who turns 13 this spring, puffed up her feathers, drooped her wings, bore down and released her latest egg, according to the group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2025
He stayed down several minutes before walking slowly from the field to the injury tent with his shoulder drooped.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 8, 2023
Within moments, her long neck drooped and her eyelids fluttered at half-mast.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
She tried to recall Kapugen’s face—his dark eyes and the brows that drooped kindly.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
At Chiswick, staff were watering drooping camellias and lilacs, shrubs that normally thrive in sun.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Behind him, a mature Joshua tree was dying, its graying limbs drooping sadly.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Another possibility is that people will use their refund money to build rainy-day funds, at a time when savings rates are drooping.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 26, 2026
And there are plenty of hybrid creatures, apocalyptic nightmares, strange juxtapositions and drooping abnormalities of the melting-watch variety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025
The skin around her neck gathered in drooping wrinkles.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
