name-drop
Americanverb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of name-drop
First recorded in 1950–55
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:
One of her dogs is named Crüe, as in Mötley Crüe; she will name-drop the 2000s rock band Nickelback in one interview and country stalwart Ronnie Milsap in the next.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Throughout, the characters routinely name-drop philosophers and authors they've obviously never read while indulging bizarre fantasies of living forever and ruling the universe as benevolent dictators.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2025
Of course, being a journalist, Avlon couldn’t help but name-drop other journalists he’d been reading.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2024
That final name-drop — of a maverick American composer — is another useful reference point.
From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
Cardi B said she’d even had to name-drop just to get food from restaurants in Atlanta and, even being famous, “it’s a hassle!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2023
Xi reportedly name-dropped his friend Putin to Trump last week, when the two leaders walked through Zhongnanhai, which is normally off-limits to foreign visitors, joking about how Putin had visited Beijing's political sanctuary before.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
But the comic, who routinely jokes about her own cosmetic work, didn’t spare herself as she name-dropped nominated films, saying, “Just like Frankenstein, I’ve been pieced together by an unlicensed European surgeon.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
A fan of Drake, like many other perpetually online teenage boys at the time, Nathan found The Weeknd in 2011 when the rapper dropped a freestyle and name-dropped him.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2025
Multiple characters pivotal to the saga have been name-dropped in court but have been notably absent from the witness stand.
From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2024
New Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh name-dropped and cliche’-dropped and also dropped hints of what his team might look like as part of the franchise’s history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
Thankfully, the book also does not shy away from some serious A-list name-dropping.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
A few years ago Tianna, who is black, also began noticing men name-dropping black feminists they had read during conversation.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025
He talked about Rwanda, Venezuela and China — and occasionally dropped in references to the United States, at one point name-dropping Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
It sets the stage for backstabbing, strained loyalties, romantic possibilities and plenty of name-dropping — albeit with considerably less curse words than the original “Suits.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2025
I can’t mention anything about this town without Ella name-dropping someone she knows.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
