drop

American  

[drop] / drɒp /

noun

• drops
  plural

1. a small quantity of liquid that falls or is produced in a more or less spherical mass; a liquid globule.

   The steam condensed and formed drops of water on the window.

2. the quantity contained in a globule or bead of liquid that forms or falls.

   The instructions say to place two drops of iodine on the piece of potato.

3. a very small quantity of liquid compared to a standard or typical portion.

   I'll have a little more tea, just a drop.

4. a minute quantity of anything.

   not even a drop of mercy.

5. Usually drops

   1. liquid medicine given in a dose or form of globules from a medicine dropper.

   2. a solution for dilating the pupils of the eyes, administered to the eyes in globules by a medicine dropper.

6. a limited amount of an alcoholic beverage.

   He occasionally takes a drop after dinner.

7. an act or instance of dropping; fall; descent.

8. the distance or depth to which anything drops.

   a ten-foot drop to the ground.

9. a steep slope.

   a short drop to the lake.

10. a decline in amount, degree, quality, value, etc..

    a drop in prices.

11. a small, usually spherical, piece of candy; lozenge.

    a lemon drop.

12. a central depository where items are left or transmitted.

    a mail drop.

13. a predesignated place where secret letters or packages can be left to be picked up by another person without attracting attention, as in espionage or drug dealing.

14. something resembling or likened to a liquid globule, as certain ornaments, a spherical earring, etc.

15. a pendant.

16. a descent by parachute.

17. an instance of dropping supplies by parachute or an amount of supplies so dropped.

18. something that drops or is used for dropping.

19. a group of persons dropped by parachute, as the personnel dropped by parachute during one military action.

20. Theater.

    1. drop curtain.

    2. drop scene.

21. trapdoor.

22. a gallows.

23. a slit or opening into which something can be dropped, as in a mailbox.

24. (in a casino) the income from the sale of chips.

25. Informal. music, software, sneakers, or other highly anticipated consumer products newly released to the public, or the release itself of such an item: We don’t know for certain why the drop was postponed.

    Her latest music video drop created a lot of buzz.

    We don’t know for certain why the drop was postponed.

26. Also called dropped item. (in a video game) an item acquired by a player character from a defeated nonplayer character.

    The mobs in this zone have pretty mediocre drops.

27. Informal. (in EDM and other dance music)

    1. Also called beat drop. a point of release in a song when, after a buildup of tension during which pitch and pace increase and the bass diminishes or disappears, the bass beat resumes.

    2. a climactic section of a song which begins with the resumption of the bass beat after a buildup section during which the bass has receded or diminished.

28. a small flag, usually of enameled metal, that is a visual indicator in an annunciator or other device meant to signal or alert.

29. Furniture. an applied ornament resembling a pendant.

30. Architecture. gutta.

31. Nautical. the vertical dimension amidships of any sail that is bent to a standing yard.

32. Also called drop panel. (in reinforced-concrete-slab construction) a thickened portion of the ceiling around a column head.

33. Horology. the free motion of an escape wheel between successive checks by the pallet.

34. the newborn young of an animal.

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verb (used without object)

• drops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dropped,
  past participle,  past
• dropt,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• dropping
  present participle

1. to fall in globules or small portions, as water or other liquid.

   Rain drops from the clouds.

2. to fall vertically; have an abrupt descent.

3. to sink or fall to the ground, floor, or bottom as if inanimate.

4. to fall lower in condition, degree, value, etc.; diminish or lessen; sink.

   The prices dropped sharply.

5. to come to an end; cease; lapse.

   There the matter dropped.

6. to fall or move to a position that is lower, farther back, inferior, etc..

   to drop back in line;

   to drop to the rear.

7. to withdraw; quit (often followed by out orfrom ).

   to drop out of a race;

   to drop from a game.

8. to pass or enter without effort into some condition, activity, or the like: to drop into a habit.

   to drop into sleep;

   to drop into a habit.

9. to make an unexpected or unannounced stop at a place; pay an informal visit or call (usually followed by in, by, orover ).

   Since we're in the neighborhood, why don't we drop in at my brother's?

10. to cease to appear or be seen; vanish.

    to drop from sight or notice.

11. to fall wounded, dead, etc..

    A thousand men dropped in the battle.

12. to squat or crouch, as a dog at the sight of game.

13. to move gently, as carried by the tide or a light wind (usually followed bydown ).

14. Informal. (of consumer products) to be released to the public, sometimes at an announced time or as a limited edition to stoke interest; launch: New patterns and designs drop every six weeks, ensuring their bamboo baby clothes remain a hot ticket.

    When the app dropped, I decided to give it a test run.

    New patterns and designs drop every six weeks, ensuring their bamboo baby clothes remain a hot ticket.

verb (used with object)

• drops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dropped,
  past participle,  past
• dropt,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• dropping
  present participle

1. to let fall in drops or small portions.

   to drop lemon juice into tea.

2. to let or cause to fall.

3. to cause or allow to sink to a lower position.

4. to cause to decrease in value, amount, quality, etc.; reduce.

5. to utter or express casually or incidentally.

   to drop a hint.

6. to write and send.

   Drop me a note.

7. to bring to the ground by a blow or shot.

8. to set down or unload, as from a ship, car, etc. (often followed byoff ).

   Drop me at the corner.

9. to omit (a letter or syllable) in pronunciation or writing.

   He dropped his h's.

10. to lower (the voice) in pitch or loudness.

11. to cease to keep up or have to do with.

    I dropped the subject.

    Will you drop your old friends if you win the lottery?

12. to cease to employ, admit as a member, or include, as on a list; dismiss.

    to drop an employee from the payroll;

    to drop three members of the club who have not paid their dues.

13. to withdraw or cease to pursue.

    The police dropped the charges against the suspect.

14. Sports.

    1. to throw, shoot, hit, kick, or roll (a ball, puck, etc.) through or into a basket, hole, or other goal.

       He dropped the ball through the basket for two points.

    2. to lose (a game or contest).

       They dropped two games in a row and were eliminated from the tournament.

15. Football.

    1. to drop-kick (a ball).

    2. to score with a drop kick.

16. (of animals) to give birth to.

    The cat dropped a litter of six kittens.

17. to parachute (persons, supplies, etc.).

    The Marines dropped 300 combat troops into the jungle battlefield.

18. to lengthen by lowering or letting out.

    to drop the hem of a skirt.

19. to lower (the wheels) into position for landing an airplane.

20. Informal. to release (music, software, sneakers, etc.) to the public; launch.

    She dropped her second album in October.

21. Informal. to spend or lose (money) in an extravagant or wasteful way.

    He thought nothing of dropping $100 on a tie.

22. Slang. to take (especially an illicit drug) by swallowing; ingest.

    Did you know that your uncle dropped acid in college?

23. Nautical. to pass out of sight of; outdistance.

24. Cooking. to poach (an egg).

verb phrase

1. drop out

   1. to withdraw from being a member or participant.

      to drop out of a club;

      to drop out of society and become a wanderer.

   2. to stop attending school or college.

2. drop behind to fall short of the required pace or progress.

   Her long illness caused her to drop behind the rest of the class.

3. drop off

   1. to fall asleep.

   2. to decrease; decline.

      Sales have dropped off drastically.

idioms

1. get / have the drop on,

   1. to aim and be ready to shoot a gun at an antagonist before the other person's gun can be drawn.

   2. to get or have at a disadvantage.

2. drop in the bucket. bucket.

3. at the drop of a hat, at the slightest provocation or without delay.

   He's ready to fight at the drop of a hat.

4. drop dead, (used as an expression of contempt, disgust, impatience, etc.).

   If that's the way you feel about it, drop dead!

drop British  

/ drɒp /

noun

1. a small quantity of liquid that forms or falls in a spherical or pear-shaped mass; globule

2. a very small quantity of liquid

3. a very small quantity of anything

4. something resembling a drop in shape or size, such as a decorative pendant or small sweet

5. the act or an instance of falling; descent

6. a decrease in amount or value; slump

   a drop in prices

7. the vertical distance that anything may fall

8. a steep or sheer incline or slope

9. short for fruit drop

10. the act of unloading troops, equipment, or supplies by parachute

11. (in cable television) a short spur from a trunk cable that feeds signals to an individual house

12. theatre See drop curtain

13. another word for trap door gallows

14. a slot or aperture through which an object can be dropped to fall into a receptacle

15. nautical the midships height of a sail bent to a fixed yard Compare hoist

16. slang cricket a fall of the wicket

    he came in at first drop

17. See drop shot

18. an amount very small in relation to what is needed or desired

19. without hesitation or delay

20. to be drunk

21. to have the advantage over someone

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verb

1. (of liquids) to fall or allow to fall in globules

2. to fall or allow to fall vertically

3. (tr) to allow to fall by letting go of

4. to sink or fall or cause to sink or fall to the ground, as from a blow, wound, shot, weariness, etc

5. (intr; foll by back, behind, etc) to fall, move, or go in a specified manner, direction, etc

6. informal (intr; foll by in, by, etc) to pay a casual visit (to)

7. to decrease or cause to decrease in amount or value

   the cost of living never drops

8. to sink or cause to sink to a lower position, as on a scale

9. to make or become less in strength, volume, etc

10. (intr) to sink or decline in health or condition

11. to pass easily into a state or condition

    to drop into a habit

12. (intr) to move along gently as with a current of water or air

13. (tr) to allow to pass casually in conversation

    to drop a hint

14. (tr) to leave out (a word or letter)

15. (tr) to set down or unload (passengers or goods)

16. (tr) to send or post

    drop me a line/text/email

17. (tr) to discontinue; terminate

    let's drop the matter

18. (tr) to cease to associate or have to do with

19. slang (tr) to cease to employ

    he was dropped from his job

20. informal (tr; sometimes foll by in, off, etc) to leave or deposit, esp at a specified place

21. (of animals) to give birth to (offspring)

22. slang to lose (money), esp when gambling

23. (tr) to lengthen (a hem, etc)

24. (tr) to unload (troops, equipment, or supplies) by parachute

25. (tr) nautical to leave behind; sail out of sight of

26. (tr) sport to omit (a player) from a team

27. (tr) to lose (a score, game, or contest)

    the champion dropped his first service game

28. (tr) sport to hit or throw (a ball) into a goal

    he dropped a 30 foot putt

29. (tr) to hit (a ball) with a drop shot

30. nautical to fall back to the stern (of another vessel)

31. slang (tr) motor racing to spin (the car) and (usually) crash out of the race

32. slang (tr) to swallow (a drug, esp a barbiturate or LSD)

33. slang an exclamation of contempt

noun

1. rugby short for drop kick or drop-kick

drop More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing drop

• at the drop of a hat
• bottom drops out of
• get the drop on
• hear a pin drop
• let drop
• wait for the other shoe to drop

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• droplike
  adjective
• undropped
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• drops
  plural

Participles

• dropping
  present
• dropped
  past
• dropt
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• drop
  simple
• drops
  simple
• have dropped
  perfect
• have dropt
  perfect
• has dropped
  perfect
• has dropt
  perfect
• am dropping
  progressive
• are dropping
  progressive
• is dropping
  progressive
• have been dropping
  perfect progressive
• has been dropping
  perfect progressive

Past

• dropped
  simple
• dropt
  simple
• had dropped
  perfect
• had dropt
  perfect
• was dropping
  progressive
• were dropping
  progressive
• had been dropping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will drop
  simple
• will have dropped
  perfect
• will have dropt
  perfect
• will be dropping
  progressive
• will have been dropping
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of drop

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun drop(e) “drop of liquid,” Old English dropa; the verb is derived from the noun; akin to drip, droop

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Explanation

When you drop something, you let go of it and it falls. To drop a football is every receiver's nightmare. If you decide to drop your girlfriend or boyfriend, it will be their nightmare. You might drop your dog's leash so she can sprint across the beach, or drop the heavy bags you've been carrying as soon as you walk in your front door. You can also drop to the ground yourself, to avoid being hit by your brother's remote control airplane. A drop is a fall, plummet, or plunge — literal, or figurative: "A drop in profits means we'll have to lay off some workers."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drop drops dropped dropt dropping

That was the biggest drop in the benchmark’s history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

“I think the market is reacting to a few comments from newly elected officials about AI, which caused a huge drop in those names and is, quite frankly, scary,” Werner told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

In 2016, Berkeley became the first municipality in California to drop the voting age to 16 for school board elections, followed by its Alameda County neighbor Oakland in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

He reads the game superbly, knows where his next pass is going and has shown an ability to drop deep and impact the game.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

The trail crossed the stream directly at the top of a small, frozen waterfall with about a twenty-foot drop.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

The prospect of stricter regulation was weighing on stocks in AI heavyweights such as Elon Musk's SpaceX ahead of the US markets open, after drops for key chipmakers in Asia including Samsung in South Korea.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

I’d say a bigger problem for Peter is that he drops $300 on some vinyl.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

To the extent that this portends future drops in consumer spending, this sign is flashing red.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

Up until the start of 2025, Bavuma averaged 46.85 against spin but since then his record drops to 21.37.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

“And this woman,” Colin’s voice drops to a whisper.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Ten-year yields dropped to trade around 4.870%, while 30-year yields traded below 5.250%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

The chart below shows that the SOX dropped below the line that has defined its uptrend since the April 2025 bottom, so there’s a growing fear that the answer is yes.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

However, Villa dropped the threat after he apologised.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Gazi Jasim Uddin, who heads the police unit for industrial zones, said protests had dropped sharply compared with recent days.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

And even though there were so many fewer letters after all except the first ones dropped out, the name felt bigger and freer.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Humphrey Dolittle of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, who “ſuddenly dropt down in the Street, and inſtantly expired” on Jan. 7, 1763.

From Slate ● Jan. 19, 2020

“I was inclined by my genius from childhood to the love of antiquities,” he writes, “and my Fate dropt me in a countrey most suitable for such enquiries.”

From The Guardian ● Feb. 13, 2017

So with that intent, one dropt on our starboard side called the la Fue and the other dropt on our larboard side called the Doubtable, they kept a very hot fire for some time.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 19, 2010

Emma was more than half in hopes of Mr. Elton’s having dropt a hint.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

And then a spasm constricted her mouth for an instant: as it passed away she turned and left the room, and so did I. Neither of us had dropt a tear.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Government bonds yields ticked lower Wednesday, with the 10-year Treasury yield dropping to 4.92% from 4.95% a day earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

In May, it was discounted to $9.8 million before dropping down to $8.95 million in September.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

This feedback system, known as closed-loop control, is intended to prevent blood sugar from dropping dangerously low.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

In fifth place, dropping a spot from last week, was Paramount's video game adaptation "Street Fighter" at $3.2 million.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

I nod mutely and get to my feet, dropping the crocodile on the ground.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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Related Words

• abandon
• collapse
• decline
• dive
• dump
• fell
• give up
• go down
• knock
• lower
• plummet
• plunge
• release
• shed
• shoot
• sink
• slide
• slip
• slump
• tumble

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