plop
Americanverb (used without object)
-
plops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
plopped,
past participle, past
-
plopping
present participle
-
to make a sound like that of something falling or dropping into water.
A frog plopped into the pond.
-
to fall with such a sound.
Big raindrops plopped against the window.
-
to drop or fall with full force or direct impact.
He plopped into a chair.
verb (used with object)
-
plops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
plopped,
past participle, past
-
plopping
present participle
-
to drop or set down heavily.
She plopped her books on the desk.
-
to cause to plop.
The fisherman plopped the bait into the river.
noun
-
plops
plural
-
a plopping sound or fall.
-
the act of plopping.
adverb
noun
verb
interjection
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
plopsimple
-
plopssimple
-
have ploppedperfect
-
has ploppedperfect
-
am ploppingprogressive
-
are ploppingprogressive
-
is ploppingprogressive
-
have been ploppingperfect progressive
-
has been ploppingperfect progressive
Past
-
ploppedsimple
-
had ploppedperfect
-
was ploppingprogressive
-
were ploppingprogressive
-
had been ploppingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of plop
First recorded in 1815–25; imitative
Explanation
To plop is to drop something (or yourself) with a short sound. The sound itself is also a plop — like something landing in water without much of a splash. The sound of a plop is abrupt and hollow — you could also call it a plunk or a or a plonk. You might plop an ice cube in your glass of water, or watch a flock of bird plop themselves on the surface of a pond. Plop is imitative or onomatopoeic (it sounds like its meaning), and it first appeared in the 1820s after the brief popularity of the alternative word plap.
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:
"He started coming to some of our gigs, and would plop itself on to one of our seats."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
But since they’re immortal, they can simply reattach their own limbs and plop their heads back in place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
Perhaps the loudest: lobbyists and salespeople who have used open seating to zero in on a prospective client or lawmaker and plop down next to them for an in-flight pitch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
I wanted so badly to ask him what he was writing but would have had to yell across the bar or plop down next to him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025
I plop down on the couch and it’s mere seconds before Riot is curling into a circle in my lap.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
F1 picks up the paddock—the behind-the-scenes village of garages and other infrastructure—and plops it in Singapore without changing the clocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
If, say, a housing development plops down where you live, you are forced to wander.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Enthralled, Elio plops a colander on his head and pleads for aliens to touch down and “take me with you — but not in a desperate way.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
In one episode, he dances into the kitchen, shouts “What’s up, party people?” and plops a basket of freshly folded laundry on the floor.
From New York Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
She plops down on the other side of me, squashing me into a grandmother sandwich.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
Phil Trubey, who plopped down $250,000 for a “Founders Series” Roadster, isn’t concerned about how fast it will be.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Daisy Chain Fields arrived on a sweltering summer Saturday, plopped in the middle of Irvine’s suede hills, inside Orange County lines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Her son Victor, 11, plopped onto the sidewalk to read his Imagination Library edition of "Llama Llama Red Pajama," a family favorite.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
After being led through the fashion house’s nostalgic pop-up retail activation, Villa Zegna, I was plopped down at a table in the back of the pool deck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Aunt Pretty said, “Oh, go on now,” and plopped a big heap of beans on my plate.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
You can pace around the living room when you’re watching TV instead of plopping down on the couch.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Instead of plopping us into an eternity in media res, Freyne introduces something novel to this process: a choice.
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025
For solo travelers or couples, that means plopping down next to strangers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Like many of us, I have struggled with anxiety or depression, and am prone to plopping in bed when feeling overwhelmed or unable to focus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2024
Well, it is a box, he says, plopping himself down in the chair.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
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