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• drop-off
  drop-off

  noun

  a vertical or very steep descent.
• drop off
  drop off

  verb

  (intr) to grow smaller or less; decline

drop-off

American  

[drop-awf, -of] / ˈdrɒpˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

• drop-offs
  plural

1. a vertical or very steep descent.

   The trail has a drop-off of several hundred feet.

2. a decline; decrease.

   Sales have shown a considerable drop-off this year.

3. a place where a person or thing can be left, received, accommodated, etc..

   a new drop-off for outpatients.

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adjective

1. applied when a rented vehicle is left elsewhere than at the point of hire.

   to pay a drop-off charge.

drop off British  

verb

1. (intr) to grow smaller or less; decline

2. (tr) to allow to alight; set down

3. informal (intr) to fall asleep

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noun

1. a steep or vertical descent

2. a sharp decrease

drop off Idioms  

1. Fall asleep, as in When I looked at Grandma, she had dropped off . [Early 1800s]

2. Decrease; also, become less frequent. For example, Sales have dropped off markedly , or Over the year her visits dropped off . [Early 1800s]

3. Deliver, unload, as in Bill dropped off the package at the office .

4. Die, as in He is so ill he could drop off any time . [Early 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• drop-offs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of drop-off

First recorded in 1955–60; noun, adj. use of verb phrase drop off

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drop-off drop off drop-offs

Still, a bus arrived within 10 minutes, and despite initially driving to the wrong drop-off spot, the driver quickly course-corrected and got us back on track.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Older women face a lower chance of fertility treatment working, even when using young donor eggs - with a marked drop-off from around the age of 49, new research suggests.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates $36 billion to $43 billion will be needed to improve recycling curbside collection, drop-off, and processing infrastructure by 2030.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

While the current drop-off is nowhere near as severe as it was in 2015—with BTC falling 50% within two weeks at that time—the effects are plenty tough for short-term investors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

He told her she looked beautiful for the tenth time, then she got out and he drove off to make room for the limousines and Bentleys in the drop-off queue.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

The bulk of the loss in July was attributed to the local government education sector, which sees thousands of teachers drop off payrolls in the summer months.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

You “absolutely need a mudroom,” in the Northeast, since people walk in with snow and rain on their boots and need a place to drop off “sporty, sweaty, muddy, rainy, snowy” stuff.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

The gathering was prompted by an incident last week when Jenna Leventhal was on her way to drop off her daughter Ava at summer camp.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

By Thursday morning, residents were lining up to buy first-aid kits, flashlights, solar chargers, duct tape and tents to drop off at donation sites that sprang up across a community known as “Doralzuela.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

I drop off Mama’s glass at the sink and rush up the stairs.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Trade body Airports UK said free drop-offs were available and fees were part of airports' business models and climate change objectives.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

During the school year, parking on the north side of Pico is restricted for several hours each day for student drop-offs at a nearby school, she said, forcing drivers onto her side of the street.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Happy Returns, acquired by UPS in 2023, offers box-free, label-free drop-offs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

One driver told the BBC his firm would do up to 15 drop-offs daily from a hotel in south-east London to a doctors surgery around two miles away.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

Meanwhile, Barbara and John, at fourteen and eleven, needed everything from skating-lesson drop-offs to late-night homework advice.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

• diminish
• dwindle
• fall away
• fall off
• lessen
• sag
• slacken