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
"We don't have to be referred to. Anybody can call, drop into our drop-in centres and we'll help them," Ms Arthur said.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 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
He’s feeling good enough to come to Friday night drop-in at the mosque?
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
The company said it had seen a drop in revenue from licensing video games, against a "challenging" backdrop for the industry, and two previous partners had ended their deals to make Warhammer-inspired titles.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Las Vegas is seeing the biggest drop in home prices among the nation’s biggest cities.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Alphabet’s losses spread to other tech stocks, sending the Magnificent Seven to their biggest collective one-day drop in market value since the tariff turmoil last April.
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
As much as Farmer wanted to direct the PIH spotlight away from himself, he was known to drop in on the new headquarters like a mini-hurricane, commanding everyone’s attention.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
