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
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"
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"Face Facts: The Science of Facial Expressions" and "Silent Language"
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"Four Skinny Trees"
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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.
Six overs in, England were 83-0 and it already felt the like the match was over as a contest as the shoulders of those wearing maroon started to droop.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2025
In the spring, maroon flowers droop from the branches.
From Salon • Aug. 14, 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
Achieving high-efficiency green emission has been difficult with traditional hexagonal III-nitride even with increasing the indium content -- a costly element required for green emission -- which leads to higher defect densities and efficiency droop.
From Science Daily • Jan. 23, 2024
Her pretty mouth had a sulky droop, and the long fringe of lashes barely hid the envy and rebellion in her blue eyes.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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.
