drop-off
noun
a vertical or very steep descent.
drop-off
American
[drop-awf, -of]
/ ˈdrɒpˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
noun
-
drop-offs
plural
-
a vertical or very steep descent.
The trail has a drop-off of several hundred feet.
-
a decline; decrease.
Sales have shown a considerable drop-off this year.
-
a place where a person or thing can be left, received, accommodated, etc..
a new drop-off for outpatients.
adjective
drop off
British
verb
-
(intr) to grow smaller or less; decline
-
(tr) to allow to alight; set down
-
informal (intr) to fall asleep
noun
-
a steep or vertical descent
-
a sharp decrease
drop off
Idioms
-
Fall asleep, as in When I looked at Grandma, she had dropped off . [Early 1800s]
-
Decrease; also, become less frequent. For example, Sales have dropped off markedly , or Over the year her visits dropped off . [Early 1800s]
-
Deliver, unload, as in Bill dropped off the package at the office .
-
Die, as in He is so ill he could drop off any time . [Early 1800s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of drop-off
First recorded in 1955–60; noun, adj. use of verb phrase drop off
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:
Early voting and drop-off locations for the general election will be posted to the secretary of state’s website on Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Ahead of my flight from Chicago to Newark Wednesday, the airline let me know the exact door at O’Hare for bag drop-off and TSA PreCheck Touchless.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
A Times analysis of police stop data found that the drop-off was especially pronounced in the Central, West Valley, 77th Street and Southeast police divisions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 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
After work she would walk to the nearest night station to be picked up and driven to a drop-off point nearer her home.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
Adikalie said: "When we're trying to contact customers to pick up and drop off their shoes, it's a bit of a struggle trying to get through to them."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Volumes were expected to drop off earlier than usual this year after many retailers brought in merchandise early to get ahead of potential new tariffs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 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
“Cyclospora cases usually drop off towards the latter end of the summer,” Johnston said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
“And Dad said he was coming by tonight to drop off my gift,” I tell her.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
Spikes in AI computation followed by rapid drop-offs are common, a fluctuation that puts significant strain on electricity-generation equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 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
Happy Returns, acquired by UPS in 2023, offers box-free, label-free drop-offs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
One driver told the BBC his firm would do up to 15 drop-offs daily from a hotel in south-east London to a doctors surgery around two miles away.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 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
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.
