scoop

American  

[skoop] / skup /

noun

1. a ladle or ladlelike utensil, especially a small, deep-sided shovel with a short, horizontal handle, for taking up flour, sugar, etc.

2. a utensil composed of a palm-sized hollow hemisphere attached to a horizontal handle, for dishing out ice cream or other soft foods.

3. a hemispherical portion of food as dished out by such a utensil.

   two scoops of chocolate ice cream.

4. the bucket of a dredge, steam shovel, etc.

5. Surgery. a spoonlike apparatus for removing substances or foreign objects from the body.

6. a hollow or hollowed-out place.

7. the act of ladling, dipping, dredging, etc.

8. the quantity held in a ladle, dipper, shovel, bucket, etc.

9. Journalism. a news item, report, or story first revealed in one paper, magazine, newscast, etc.; beat.

10. Informal. news, information, or details, especially as obtained from experience or an immediate source.

    What's the scoop on working this machine?

11. a gathering to oneself or lifting with the arms or hands.

12. Informal. a big haul, as of money.

13. Television, Movies. a single large floodlight shaped like a flour scoop.

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verb (used with object)

1. to take up or out with or as if with a scoop.

2. to empty with a scoop.

3. to form a hollow or hollows in.

4. to form with or as if with a scoop.

5. to get the better of (other publications, newscasters, etc.) by obtaining and publishing or broadcasting a news item, report, or story first.

   They scooped all the other dailies with the story of the election fraud.

6. to gather up or to oneself or to put hastily by a sweeping motion of one's arms or hands.

   He scooped the money into his pocket.

verb (used without object)

1. to remove or gather something with or as if with a scoop.

   to scoop with a ridiculously small shovel.

scoop British  

/ skuːp /

noun

1. a utensil used as a shovel or ladle, esp a small shovel with deep sides and a short handle, used for taking up flour, corn, etc

2. a utensil with a long handle and round bowl used for dispensing liquids

3. a utensil with a round bowl and short handle, sometimes with a mechanical device to empty the bowl, for serving ice cream or mashed potato

4. anything that resembles a scoop in action, such as the bucket on a dredge

5. a spoonlike surgical instrument for scraping or extracting foreign matter, etc, from the body

6. the quantity taken up by a scoop

7. the act of scooping, dredging, etc

8. a hollow cavity

9. slang a large quick gain, as of money

10. a news story reported in one newspaper before all the others; an exclusive

11. any sensational piece of news

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verb

1. (often foll by up) to take up and remove (an object or substance) with or as if with a scoop

2. (often foll by out) to hollow out with or as if with a scoop

   to scoop a hole in a hillside

3. to win (a prize, award, or large amount of money)

4. to beat (rival newspapers) in uncovering a news item

5. sport to hit (the ball) on its underside so that it rises into the air

Other Word Forms

• outscoop verb (used with object)
• scooper noun
• scoopful noun
• underscoop noun
• unscooped adjective

Etymology

Origin of scoop

1300–50; (noun) Middle English scope < Middle Dutch schōpe; (v.) Middle English scopen, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

The prospect of tariff refunds is the latest opportunity in the world of claims trading, where investors scoop up rights tied to everything from tax refunds to bankrupt companies.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Future missions need a large enough drill or a powerful scoop to access it, similar to the design and capabilities of Phoenix."

From Science Daily

I set a skillet on the stove, waited until it was hot enough to fry nails, and dropped the potatoes and a scoop of hog lard in it.

From Literature

I scooped more mud from the sluice and swirled it around in my pan.

From Literature

Others say they would rather scoop up beaten-down shares of already public companies than take risks on newly listed software firms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• clear away
• dig
• dig out
• gouge
• lift
• pick up
• remove
• scrape