dropper

American  

[drop-er] / ˈdrɒp ər /

noun

• droppers
  plural

1. 1. Also called medicine dropper, eyedropper. a tube with a hollow rubber bulb at one end and a small opening at the other, for drawing in a liquid and expelling it in drops.

      For pets that don't like droppers, this medication also comes in a spray.

      You can dilute the tempera a little at a time by adding water with an eye dropper.

   2. the amount held or dispensed by such a tube.

      Take two droppers of the echinacea tincture, swish it in your mouth for about 15 seconds, and swallow.

2. Angling. a short length of nylon, gut, etc., tied to a leader so that another fly dropper fly can be attached.

   This is a great summer fly that you can fish on a dropper or simply on its own.

3. a short-haired dog that is a cross between a pointer and a setter, so named because it drops to the ground, or crouches, on sighting game.

4. a person or thing that drops.

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dropper British  

/ ˈdrɒpə /

noun

1. a small tube having a rubber bulb at one end for drawing up and dispensing drops of liquid

2. a person or thing that drops

3. angling a short length of monofilament by which a fly is attached to the main trace or leader above the tail fly

4. a batten attached to the top wire of a fence to keep the wires apart

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• droppers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dropper

First recorded in 1690–1700; drop + -er ¹

Compare meaning

How does dropper compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dropper vs. dispenser

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dropper droppers

This much silence from pop music’s most dramatic main character, biggest cornball and most profligate breadcrumb dropper has rattled the usual channels for all things Swift.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

A dropper is malicious software usually spread in emails containing infected links or attachments such as shipping invoices or order forms.

From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2024

"Just because something is a marmalade dropper, doesn't make it a good idea," says one figure on today's big surprise.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2023

I am an inveterate name dropper as you have just very politely pointed out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2023

I sat by Dad’s bed, dripping teaspoons of water into his mouth with a medical dropper and feeding him pureed vegetables as if he were a toddler.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

He uses up to 100 different shades of color applied with eye droppers to the surface of these canvases.

From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2022

The rampant increase of new cognitive hacking exploits, from false-memory droppers to this sort of snareware, made it essential.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2020

Those costs would price out many patients, who would be paying out of pocket for MedPharm Iowa’s pills, droppers or creams.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 29, 2018

As difficult as it was to get started—I needed nipple guards, visits to a lactation consultant, droppers, special scales—I never thought to stop.

From Slate ● May 21, 2015

The monkey was hollow, like all the water droppers Min made.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park