drop-in
noun
Also a person who or thing that pays an unexpected or uninvited visit.
drop-in
American
[drop-in]
/ ˈdrɒpˌɪn /
noun
-
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.
adjective
-
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.
drop in
British
verb
Etymology
Origin of drop-in
First recorded in 1810–20; noun and adjective use of verb phrase drop in
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:
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
In Londonderry, Eilish O'Doherty works for Older People North West, a drop-in centre for elderly people.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
The result is a drop-in replacement for metallurgical coal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
“My husband, the doctor, usually does not take drop-in patients,” she said.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
“This suggests a new phenomenon, with the biggest factor in the overall drop in scores being advantaged students who are performing below what one would expect given their background,” said Schleicher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
"Borrowers expecting mortgage rates to drop in the coming weeks have had their hopes dashed," said Rachel Springall, from financial information service Moneyfacts.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The team is fined $30 million, a drop in the bucket to the owner who, with other executives, got suspended for up to a year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Leonard gets fined $700,000, also a drop in the bucket for someone who should also have been suspended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
As much of a warning as that was, it still didn’t sink in as deeply as it should have—because the official responses were, well, literally, a drop in the bucket.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
