plop
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make a sound like that of something falling or dropping into water.
A frog plopped into the pond.
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to fall with such a sound.
Big raindrops plopped against the window.
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to drop or fall with full force or direct impact.
He plopped into a chair.
verb (used with object)
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to drop or set down heavily.
She plopped her books on the desk.
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to cause to plop.
The fisherman plopped the bait into the river.
noun
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a plopping sound or fall.
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the act of plopping.
adverb
noun
verb
interjection
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.
Plop me pool-side and place one of these in my hand, please and thank you.
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2022
Plop right in and prepare yourself for a full-immersion experience.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 29, 2022
It follows the story of Plop, a baby owl, who is helped by others to grow in confidence and overcome his fears.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2022
Plop down, turn on, tune in — to the sounds of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4.
From Washington Post • Mar. 28, 2018
Miss Muffet tripped up to the bowl, and began to sip the contents, thinking all the while how glad she was that she was not a mortal, when—— Plop!
From More Tales in the Land of Nursery Rhyme by Marzials, Ada M.
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.
