droop
Americanverb (used without object)
-
droops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
drooped,
past participle, past
-
drooping
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
droops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
drooped,
past participle, past
-
drooping
present participle
noun
verb
-
to sag or allow to sag, as from weakness or exhaustion; hang down; sink
-
(intr) to be overcome by weariness; languish; flag
-
(intr) to lose courage; become dejected
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
droopsimple
-
droopssimple
-
have droopedperfect
-
has droopedperfect
-
am droopingprogressive
-
are droopingprogressive
-
is droopingprogressive
-
have been droopingperfect progressive
-
has been droopingperfect progressive
Past
-
droopedsimple
-
had droopedperfect
-
was droopingprogressive
-
were droopingprogressive
-
had been droopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of droop
1300–50; Middle English drupen, drowpen < Old Norse drūpa; akin to drop
Explanation
To droop is to limply or loosely hang downward. Have you ever seen the long, floppy ears of a basset hound hanging down? Those ears are drooping. When things droop, they're loose and hanging down. On a day without wind, a flag will droop. If you are sad or embarrassed, your head might droop a little. Evidently, drooping your head when you’re feeling down is something people have been doing for a long time. Droop is also related to the words drop and drip.
Vocabulary lists containing droop
How Low Can You Go? Synonyms for "Downward"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Face Facts: The Science of Facial Expressions" and "Silent Language"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Four Skinny Trees"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Its floppy feathers droop from the ceiling and stretch out across the ground, dominating the gallery after seeming to have deflated midflight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"There is a limit to how much droop you can allow," says Simon Hogg, a consultant and professor emeritus at Durham University.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
However, an increase in power supplied to the LED results in a decrease in its efficiency, a phenomenon known as efficiency droop.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
In the spring, maroon flowers droop from the branches.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
A cloudiness in the eye or a droop to a shoulder.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
The split between the two companies points to a so-called K-shaped economy —named that way because the upper arm rises while the lower arm droops.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
You can check this by stopping the mixer, detaching the whisk attachment or beater and turning it upside down: If the meringue droops down just at the top, you’re good to go.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2023
This is an opera that blasts and scrapes, flickers and droops, with growling aggression giving way to delicate twinkling.
From New York Times ● May 15, 2022
It droops under its own weight, a turquoise hyacinth in bloom on the first day of spring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
He reads it and his head droops almost to his knees.
From "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine
Mark's speech started to go, and one side of his face drooped - classic stroke symptoms.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2025
Jackie, who turns 13 this spring, puffed up her feathers, drooped her wings, bore down and released her latest egg, according to the group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2025
She was on a United flight from Toronto to San Francisco when her now-deceased father, then in his 80s, began showing concerning symptoms: The right side of his face and arm drooped.
From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2023
To be sure, though, there was something uncanny — even a little creepy — about these performers who moved a little sluggishly, their eyes drooped.
From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2022
I swear he understood me because his ears drooped and he turned away.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
Those figures are a remarkable contrast to the drooping ratings for CBS’s other mainstay news programs in the morning External link and evening External link.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Another possibility is that people will use their refund money to build rainy-day funds, at a time when savings rates are drooping.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 26, 2026
According to the exhibition catalog, “Aso Oke” was inspired by the handwoven openwork fabric of Nigeria’s Yoruba people, as well as the drooping fila gobi ceremonial cap worn by Yoruba men.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
A true rock ’n’ roll persona, the artist was once rarely seen without a drooping cigarette and a top hat, the latter of which could barely contain his face-engulfing curly hair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025
Torak judged it safe to let Wolf walk, and the cub plodded before him with drooping tail.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
