Informal. Also a person who or thing that pays an unexpected or uninvited visit.
a feeder for squirrels, raccoons, and other drop-ins.
Informal. a social gathering at which the guests are not expected to stay long.
Be sure to stop by our house for a glass of eggnog at our Christmas drop-in.
provided for short-term patronage.
a drop-in shelter for people who are moving through homelessness.
requiring only insertion to be ready for use.
a drop-in battery pack.
First recorded in 1810–20; noun and adjective use of verb phrase drop in
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sometimes, though, capybaras need more help than they can get from these drop-in visits—a fact that, along with the species’ rising popularity, has ushered some capybaras of Brazil into a new kind of lifestyle entirely.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
General manager Vinni Jones said the charity aimed to put a smile on people's faces from its drop-in base at Lewis Street in St Helier.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025
The result is a drop-in replacement for metallurgical coal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Talk Money Week will offer free drop-in sessions at Princes Quay shopping centre.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025
It passed churches, meditation halls, mosques, drop-in clinics for Mellowers and an entire floor devoted to the Lion Spirit Medium, who relayed messages from mhondoro, the spirit of the land.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
Rollins, in a social-media post this week, pointed to a drop in new screwworm cases in July as a sign that containment and the sterile-fly efforts were helping contain the outbreak.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
That was driven by a 30% drop in children under 5.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
However, these figures are still "a drop in the ocean" compared to what is needed, Byanyima told AFP last month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Primark, which has more than 190 UK stores, has been experiencing a drop in like-for-like sales, a key measure in the retail industry.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Typically, they are caught by an unforeseen change of conditions or combination of changes—a sudden drop in temperature, a cold pelting rain, the realization that they are lost—for which they are emotionally or physically underequipped.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
