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
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
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
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
Her eyes rolled back, flashing white in the second it took for her eyelids to droop down.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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
“He speaks as fluently as ever, but his lower lip droops on one side. The ulnar nerve in his left hand was badly damaged.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2023
Okay, the dry-fried cauliflower droops by the time its lid is removed at home, but the seasoning is the blast furnace fans expect.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2022
In the photo, she’s thinner, and her face droops.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2022
Her eyes are bored, her head droops forward, the way it has been put.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The lodging business took a hit when travel activity drooped during the pandemic, while soaring operating costs and plunging occupancy rates caused hundreds of senior housing facilities to close.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
At least once, the side of his face drooped on national television.
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 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
She drew laughter when she stepped in to lift the microphone near a student’s face after it repeatedly drooped too low.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2023
The branch broke and forever drooped like the neck of a discount camel.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Mature trees that take decades to establish are drooping, and some have leaves turning brown in August in a stress reaction to excessive heat.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
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
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
Images of forest animals amongst drooping trees dotted the large expanse.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
