outcrop
Americannoun
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Geology.
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a cropping out, as of a stratum or vein at the surface of the earth.
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the exposed portion of such a stratum or vein.
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something that emerges suddenly or violently in the manner of an outcrop; outbreak.
an outcrop of student demonstrations.
verb (used without object)
noun
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part of a rock formation or mineral vein that appears at the surface of the earth
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an emergence; appearance
verb
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(of rock strata, mineral veins, etc) to protrude through the surface of the earth
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another word for crop out
Etymology
Origin of outcrop
First recorded in 1760–70; noun use of verb phrase crop out
Explanation
An outcrop is an area of land where the underlying rocks are exposed. You can see many rocky outcrops throughout Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The term outcrop and the alternative outcropping come from the "head or sprout" meaning of crop, from the idea of seeing the "head" of the rock below. Most of the earth's land surface is covered with soil and plants, but in areas where erosion has worn these away, you can see outcrops of the bedrock beneath. These outcrops can be low, flat sheets of rock, or taller rocky expanses along the edges of mountain ridges.
Vocabulary lists containing outcrop
Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High School
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Uglies
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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.
During a visit in early 2025, they explored a small outcrop of rock formed in the early Cretaceous Period.
From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026
Kharg Island is a small coral outcrop in the Persian Gulf, roughly 15 miles off the Iranian coast.
From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026
Literally the answer must be no: Any stories they tell are scientific interpretations of minerals, fossils, isotopes and other features, whether from a geology laboratory or rock outcrop.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
An accompanying conservation plan would convey the 30-acre rocky outcrop that hosts the Quercus palmeri , or Palmer’s oak, to a Native tribe.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2024
“So I looked up that photo of Dorothea Lange and Paul Taylor you mentioned. They're out on some dusty outcrop in California, right?”
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
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.
