droop
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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:
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
Possible symptoms include face weakness, where one side of the face might droop, arm weakness and speech problems.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
Researchers can reduce the efficiency droop by tilting the InGaN layers and cutting the wafer into different orientations, which alter the resulting crystal's properties.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
The dancers droop and drag when they’re alone, anxiously turning in on themselves as though they might like to disappear entirely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
As she said it, she must have seen Moss’s face droop.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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
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
“Cyrano” should soar when the music begins; instead, it droops.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2022
His face droops a bit, and I can't help but laugh.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
She explained she was given steroid injections and left with swelling before her face dropped and remained drooped for seven months, during which time she said she hid in her house.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2024
Within moments, her long neck drooped and her eyelids fluttered at half-mast.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
She was on a United flight from Toronto to San Francisco when her now-deceased father, then in his 80s, began showing concerning symptoms: The right side of his face and arm drooped.
From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2023
I cried inwardly, as the night lingered and lingered—as my bleeding patient drooped, moaned, sickened: and neither day nor aid arrived.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
The shot of the battered Big Baby, one eyelid drooping, sitting on a swing gazing at the full moon, is far more chilling than anything in the “M3GAN” movies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Those figures are a remarkable contrast to the drooping ratings for CBS’s other mainstay news programs in the morning External link and evening External link.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
In response, the company introduced a wind-assist kit—a pair of cables, clips and sandbags that can keep the fabric from drooping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 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
They gazed at her, their furry round cheeks drooping, a sadness filling their bright eyes.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
