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.
The MCC is also experimenting with drop-in pitches, which are heavily used in Australia.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
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
The school said support was being put in place for students, including access to pastoral and safeguarding staff, bereavement support, and drop-in sessions with the school nurse team.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
The centre provides a weekly programme of peer support groups, drop-in cafés, creative and musical sessions and wellbeing classes.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
He’s feeling good enough to come to Friday night drop-in at the mosque?
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Ubisoft also expects a "high single-digit" percentage drop in its operating margin calculated according to non-IFRS accounting standards.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Shares fell more than 6%—down 18% so far this year—after the budget carrier posted a drop in profit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
And global market share dipped to 8.1% from 8.3%, with North America market share falling to 15.8% from 16.4%, including a drop in U.S. share to 16.6% from 17.4%.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Mark Hutton, who helps run the Millbrook Hub community larder, said he had seen first-hand the drop in donations.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
But if the goal here is to explain the drop in crime in the 1990s, imprisonment is certainly one of the key answers.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
