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• drop-off
  drop-off

  noun

  a vertical or very steep descent.
• drop off
  drop off

  verb

  (intr) to grow smaller or less; decline

drop-off

American  

[drop-awf, -of] / ˈdrɒpˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

• drop-offs
  plural

1. a vertical or very steep descent.

   The trail has a drop-off of several hundred feet.

2. a decline; decrease.

   Sales have shown a considerable drop-off this year.

3. a place where a person or thing can be left, received, accommodated, etc..

   a new drop-off for outpatients.

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adjective

1. applied when a rented vehicle is left elsewhere than at the point of hire.

   to pay a drop-off charge.

drop off British  

verb

1. (intr) to grow smaller or less; decline

2. (tr) to allow to alight; set down

3. informal (intr) to fall asleep

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noun

1. a steep or vertical descent

2. a sharp decrease

drop off Idioms  

1. Fall asleep, as in When I looked at Grandma, she had dropped off . [Early 1800s]

2. Decrease; also, become less frequent. For example, Sales have dropped off markedly , or Over the year her visits dropped off . [Early 1800s]

3. Deliver, unload, as in Bill dropped off the package at the office .

4. Die, as in He is so ill he could drop off any time . [Early 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• drop-offs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of drop-off

First recorded in 1955–60; noun, adj. use of verb phrase drop off

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drop-off drop off drop-offs

Lieu expressed concern that security perimeters would be so large during the Games that drop-off points would be even more distant, necessitating walks of up to half an hour, discouraging fans from taking buses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

These are the reasons I am predicting a Premier League drop-off for the Cherries - but would not be surprised to see this one defied.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

When Fudge, 38, a manager in the finance department of a government contractor, reached the drop-off point, she balked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

In fact, the man known as “Big Dumper” is having what might be the biggest year-over-year drop-off of all-time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Lou Ann pulls into the long drop-off line.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

AI workloads cause massive power demand spikes during computation, and a drop off as those computation results are gathered, according to a paper from Schneider Electric.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

The bulk of the loss in July was attributed to the local government education sector, which sees thousands of teachers drop off payrolls in the summer months.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Despite the drop off, Everton retained hopes of European football when they faced Sunderland in their final home match of 2025-26.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

You “absolutely need a mudroom,” in the Northeast, since people walk in with snow and rain on their boots and need a place to drop off “sporty, sweaty, muddy, rainy, snowy” stuff.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

‘Once I do get to sleep,’ said Sam, ‘I shall go on sleeping, whether I roll off or no. And the less said, the sooner I’ll drop off, if you take my meaning.’

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

No parking or waiting restrictions will make driving through the city centre and its vicinity difficult, even for drop-offs.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Trade body Airports UK said free drop-offs were available and fees were part of airports' business models and climate change objectives.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

During the school year, parking on the north side of Pico is restricted for several hours each day for student drop-offs at a nearby school, she said, forcing drivers onto her side of the street.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

There were also larger drop-offs in states where a high proportion of people were automatically re-enrolled in their plans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Meanwhile, Barbara and John, at fourteen and eleven, needed everything from skating-lesson drop-offs to late-night homework advice.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

• diminish
• dwindle
• fall away
• fall off
• lessen
• sag
• slacken