outcrop

[ noun out-krop; verb out-krop ]

/ noun ˈaʊtˌkrɒp; verb ˌaʊtˈkrɒp /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: outcrop / outcropping on Thesaurus.com

noun

Geology.

a cropping out, as of a stratum or vein at the surface of the earth.
the exposed portion of such a stratum or vein.

something that emerges suddenly or violently in the manner of an outcrop; outbreak: an outcrop of student demonstrations.

verb (used without object), out·cropped, out·crop·ping.

to crop out, as strata.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of outcrop

First recorded in 1760–70; noun use of verb phrase crop out

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use outcrop in a sentence

We also examined the microscopic bits of silica left behind by plants, ancient pollen, and airborne charcoal from natural fires retrieved from ancient riverbed and lake outcrops in the Serengeti plains.
Scientist findings in Tanzania show how ancient humans used tools 2 million years ago|Julio Mercader Florin|January 17, 2021|Quartz
I visited Trieste three years ago, ate, drank, wandered and waded into the Adriatic Sea, glimpsing ancient limestone outcrops in the distance.
World class: Remembering legendary travel writer Jan Morris|Liza Weisstuch|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
Or China, which is busily trying to redraw the Pacific map around every rock outcropping?
The Cheneys’ Permanent War|Heather Hurlburt|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Police say the bassist turned gunman stepped onto a third floor outcropping and fired through a window.
The Guitar Case Murders|Michael Daly|November 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Schettino was the captain of the Costa Concordia when it crashed into an outcropping off Giglio last Jan. 13.
Costa Concordia’s Captain’s Culpability in Crash and Deaths Weighed by Judge|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The rock was a wide, outcropping band curving steeply to the summit on the eastern aspect.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Finally they reached the outcropping of rock a few hundred feet up the river bank.
The Jewels of Aptor|Samuel R. Delany
Bordering the coast there was a linear group of islets and outcropping rocks at which we had hoped to touch.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Half-way down the cliff on an outcropping shelf of rock the man lay, face downward, motionless.
The Escape of Mr. Trimm|Irvin S. Cobb
Sandy, stooping behind the outcropping, also trembled, partly with excitement and partly with fear.
The Boy Settlers|Noah Brooks

British Dictionary definitions for outcrop

outcrop

noun (ˈaʊtˌkrɒp)

part of a rock formation or mineral vein that appears at the surface of the earth

an emergence; appearance

verb (ˌaʊtˈkrɒp) -crops, -cropping or -cropped (intr)

(of rock strata, mineral veins, etc) to protrude through the surface of the earth

another word for crop out

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for outcrop

outcrop

[ out′krŏp′ ]

An area of visible bedrock that is not covered with soil.

outcrop

Origin of outcrop

Words related to outcrop

How to use outcrop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for outcrop

Scientific definitions for outcrop