mope
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a person who mopes or is given to moping.
-
mopes, depressed spirits; blues.
verb
-
to be gloomy or apathetic
there's no time to mope
-
to move or act in an aimless way
he moped around the flat
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mopesimple
-
mopessimple
-
have mopedperfect
-
has mopedperfect
-
am mopingprogressive
-
are mopingprogressive
-
is mopingprogressive
-
have been mopingperfect progressive
-
has been mopingperfect progressive
Past
-
mopedsimple
-
had mopedperfect
-
was mopingprogressive
-
were mopingprogressive
-
had been mopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mope
First recorded in 1560–70; variant of mop 2
Explanation
When you're bummed out, I bet you sometimes mope. Moping is something people do when they're feeling gloomy and doomy and sad. Moping never solved a problem, but we all do it when things aren't going our way. A moping person is usually frowning, slouched over, quiet, and maybe even lying down. We mope when we're sad, but part of moping is directed at other people, because moping is at least a little public. When someone says you're "moping around," they can tell you're trying to let everyone know how sad you are. To mope is to say "Hey! Somebody cheer me up!"
Vocabulary lists containing mope
"The Mixer," Vocabulary from the short story
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Open Window"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
It was frustrating to watch Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda mope around the first two seasons, trying to find their place in a world that changed too fast for them to keep up.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2025
But the Bronx Bombers longtime general manager, Brian Cashman, didn’t mope, instead improving the American League champion roster with several adroit moves, starting with pitchers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025
But with its relentlessly recriminatory tone, it's often more mope opera than soap opera.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2023
“I didn’t sit around and mope all day. I trusted coach. I trusted him all the way and I’m still with him. And five years later, I’m still here.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2023
“How sad for Feral. He was only worth one plum. Won’t he mope when we tell him.”
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
“Maddie doesn’t listen to me,” she complains, then mopes.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2021
While David mopes around, wallowing in his angst, Georgia is a model of multitasking, caring for the kids, finishing a novel and, at one point, helping a friend give birth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2020
It seems cruel to send her off to live her final years with my in-laws because she gets sad and mopes when we’re not around.
From Slate ● Jan. 24, 2020
At its weakest, though, Ford’s prose mopes with at-hand utterances: “part and parcel,” “pride and joy,” “this and that.”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2017
Dad has started going to work again, but Mom mopes around the house.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
Richard Thompson says his wife was working a night shift as a carer in Grimsby when her moped was stolen.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
“To ride a motorcycle or moped, you need to have the appropriate driver’s license and comply with rules of the road.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Pulling up his laptop, Dallas shows off the art for a single: On a majestic winding Italian road, ian perches pensively on a white moped, in an all-white yacht outfit, barefoot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
Housed in a former moped shop, the Virgil Village store offers a selection of novelty items and streetwear treasures, curated by both Kurata and Staunton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
I didn’t hear the answer, on account of the moped starting up.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
He doesn’t respond to his various wake-up calls with stubborn defiance but a curiosity that shifts his moping into something akin to a geeky, fun-loving second adolescence.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
Instead of moping over the setback, Ohtani has started eyeing his next boundary-pushing maneuver: To be a leadoff hitter and high-leverage reliever in the same game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025
As macho as the protagonist of a Lifetime movie, moping like an adolescent and watching too much TV, Mr. White’s Springsteen is clearly depressed, but Mr. Cooper’s script doesn’t provide much illumination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
Mr Dixon-Box said: "There's no use moping about saying there's a skills gap, the best way is to teach people and for them to learn."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2023
She was not moping for Lancelot, nor did she weep for him on her pillow.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
