loop

¹ American  

[loop] / lup /

noun

1. a portion of a cord, ribbon, etc., folded or doubled upon itself so as to leave an opening between the parts.

2. anything shaped more or less like a closed curve, as a line drawn on paper, a part of a letter or other symbol, a part of a path, or a line of motion.

3. a curved piece or a ring of metal, wood, or the like, used for the insertion of something, as a handle, etc.

4. intrauterine device.

5. Aeronautics. a maneuver executed by an airplane in such a manner that the airplane describes a closed curve in a vertical plane.

6. a circular area at the end of a trolley line, railroad line, etc., where cars turn around.

7. an arm of a cloverleaf where traffic may turn off or onto a main road or highway.

8. Physics. the part of a vibrating string, column of air or other medium, etc., between two adjacent nodes.

9. Electricity. a closed electric or magnetic circuit.

10. Computers. the reiteration of a set of instructions in a routine or program.

11. a wire, usually of platinum, one end of which is curved to form a loop, used for transferring microorganisms from one medium to another.

12. a sandbar that encloses or nearly encloses a body of water.

13. Figure Skating. a school figure in which a skater traces a large half circle, a small oval within its arc, and another large half circle to complete the figure while remaining on the same skating edge.

14. the Loop, the main business district of Chicago.

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verb (used with object)

• loops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• looped,
  past participle,  past
• looping
  present participle

1. to form into a loop.

   The first step is to loop the rope into a circle about the size of a dinner plate.

2. to make a loop in.

   Sometimes the hose gets looped in such a way as to inadvertently make a knot.

3. to enfold or encircle in or with something arranged in a loop.

   I’m always looping my finger in with the yarn when I’m winding it into a ball.

4. to fasten by forming into a loop, or by means of something formed into a loop (often followed byup ).

   to loop up the new draperies.

5. to cause (a missile or projectile) to trace a looping or looplike trajectory through the air.

   to loop a grenade into the building.

6. to fly (an airplane) in a loop or series of loops.

7. to connect (conductors) in the shape of a loop within a closed electric or magnetic circuit.

8. Movies. to complete by recording dialogue, sound effects, etc., onto an existing film track or soundtrack.

   We still have to loop the final scenes.

verb (used without object)

• loops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• looped,
  past participle,  past
• looping
  present participle

1. to make or form a loop.

   The river loops around the two counties.

2. to move by forming loops, as an inchworm does.

   The little green caterpillar looping along the leaf’s edge is the larva of a geometrid moth.

3. to trace a looping or looplike path through the air.

   The fly ball looped high in the air.

4. to perform a loop or series of loops in an airplane.

5. Movies. to record dialogue, sound effects, etc., onto an existing film track or soundtrack.

idioms

1. in the loop, among those who receive the latest information about something.

   If it’s anything pertaining to his test results, please keep me in the loop.

2. out of the loop, excluded from those who receive the latest information about something.

   She’s often out of the loop on policy decisions.

3. throw / knock for a loop, to astonish or upset.

   Her quitting the project really threw me for a loop.

loop ² American  

[loop] / lup /

noun

Archaic.

1. a small or narrow opening, as in a wall; loophole.

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loop ³ American  

[loop] / lup /

noun

Metalworking.

1. a hot bloom of pasty consistency, to be worked under a hammer or in rolls.

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loop ¹ British  

/ luːp /

noun

1. the round or oval shape formed by a line, string, etc, that curves around to cross itself

2. any round or oval-shaped thing that is closed or nearly closed

3. a piece of material, such as string, curved round and fastened to form a ring or handle for carrying by

4. an intrauterine contraceptive device in the shape of a loop

5. electronics

   1. a closed electric or magnetic circuit through which a signal can circulate

   2. short for loop aerial

6. a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft flies one complete circle in the vertical plane

7. Also called: loop line. a railway branch line which leaves the main line and rejoins it after a short distance

8. maths physics a closed curve on a graph

   hysteresis loop

9. another name for antinode

10. anatomy

    1. the most common basic pattern of the human fingerprint, formed by several sharply rising U-shaped ridges Compare arch 1 whorl

    2. a bend in a tubular structure, such as the U-shaped curve in a kidney tubule ( Henle's loop or loop of Henle )

11. computing a series of instructions in a program, performed repeatedly until some specified condition is satisfied

12. skating a jump in which the skater takes off from a back outside edge, makes one, two, or three turns in the air, and lands on the same back outside edge

13. a group of people to whom information is circulated (esp in the phrases in or out of the loop )

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verb

1. (tr) to make a loop in or of (a line, string, etc)

2. (tr) to fasten or encircle with a loop or something like a loop

3. Also: loop the loop. to cause (an aircraft) to perform a loop or (of an aircraft) to perform a loop

4. (intr) to move in loops or in a path like a loop

loop ² British  

/ luːp /

noun

1. an archaic word for loophole

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loop More Idioms  

1. see in the loop; knock for a loop.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• looping
  present
• looped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• loop
  simple
• loops
  simple
• have looped
  perfect
• has looped
  perfect
• am looping
  progressive
• are looping
  progressive
• is looping
  progressive
• have been looping
  perfect progressive
• has been looping
  perfect progressive

Past

• looped
  simple
• had looped
  perfect
• was looping
  progressive
• were looping
  progressive
• had been looping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will loop
  simple
• will have looped
  perfect
• will be looping
  progressive
• will have been looping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of loop¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loupe “loop of cloth,” of uncertain origin; probably from Middle Irish, Old Irish lúb “bend, fold, loop”; perhaps akin to leap ( def. )

Origin of loop²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loupe, loup “loophole”; compare Middle Dutch lūpen “lie in wait, peep, peer”

Origin of loop³

First recorded in 1665–75; from French loupe, special use of loupe “wen, knob, gnarl,” ultimately from Germanic; see loupe

Explanation

A loop is a roundish, coiled shape, like the shape a piece of string or rope makes when it crosses itself. To start knitting, you need to put a loop of yarn on the end of one of your needles. Loops are ovals or circles and are often made from rope or other fibers, like the loop at the end of a cowboy's lasso. The verb loop means to form the shape of a loop in the sky; or to make a loop from string or some other material. If something "throws you for a loop," it catches you by surprise, and if you're "in the loop," you have access to information that others might not have.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loop loops looped looping

When Watters pressed him about abolishing ICE, he did not surrender the moral argument or get stuck in a defensive loop.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

Having taken control of a radio station, the TPF's "Public and Military Relations Department" is broadcasting a message on a loop calling on the people of Mekelle to remain calm and united.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Gratton has tested light aircraft and stresses the importance of a human in the loop.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Since the model was proposed, similar ideas have appeared in several modern attempts to unite gravity and quantum mechanics, including string theory and loop quantum gravity.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

Officer Begay opened the door at the end of the hallway with a key attached to a large loop with hundreds more rings.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

A lack of distributions and write-offs reduces available funds that underpin economic activity, creating adverse feedback loops.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

The Five-Pocket Tote has classic denim details such as belt loops, shank buttons and bar tack stitching.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The new Whigs record is a strong collection of material that stands solidly amongst the existing catalog of v2 Whigs albums, with big rockers, piano ballads, and tape loops neatly nestled against guitar feedback.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

“There’s still loops and sprockets but it is different.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

“So these loops are elevation lines. A topo map shows the contours of the land, from the highest mountain peak to the lowest valley. Think of it as 3D on a 2D piece of paper.”

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Tucker then looped a single into no-man’s land.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

After getting as close to the White House as security checkpoints would allow, I looped back toward the Capitol building.

From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026

“We’re already familiar with the original Love Island series, so I think it’s just lighting up that part of people’s brains, and then they just get looped in,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

The forwards went through the phases to edge them closer to the line before the ball was looped wide to the left wing for the impressive Josh Adams to touch down.

From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026

Then he added more ropes and built a kind of a maze that looped around all the trees.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Look at those Watteau straps in the back, dripping with rhinestones and looping, swinging, amplifying the dynamics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

If the scale of any such looping is larger than the observable universe, we may never be able to detect it.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

The show also includes examples from his mid-1980s shift toward more colorful hues, calligraphy-like glyphs and looping lines that collectively confirmed him as one of the most influential abstract painters of the 20th century.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Another untitled 11-by-14-inch print from 1979 records the fire-burnished remains of the looping Thrifty sign above a Westwood drugstore.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

“Shoelaces,” he added vaguely, looping the Polaroid cameras strap around his neck.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• bend
• curl
• curve
• twist