stoop

[stoop]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stoop ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to bend the head and shoulders, or the body generally, forward and downward from an erect position: to stoop over a desk.

to carry the head and shoulders habitually bowed forward: to stoop from age.

(of trees, precipices, etc.) to bend, bow, or lean.

to descend from one's level of dignity; condescend; deign: Don't stoop to argue with him.

to swoop down, as a hawk at prey.

to submit; yield.

Obsolete. to come down from a height.

verb (used with object)

to bend (oneself, one's head, etc.) forward and downward.

Archaic. to abase, humble, or subdue.

noun

the act or an instance of stooping.

a stooping position or carriage of body: The elderly man walked with a stoop.

a descent from dignity or superiority.

a downward swoop, as of a hawk.

Origin of stoop

before 900; Middle English stoupen (v.), Old English stūpian; cognate with Middle Dutch stūpen to bend, bow; akin to steep¹

Related formsstoop·er, nounstoop·ing·ly, adverbnon·stoop·ing, adjectiveun·stooped, adjectiveun·stoop·ing, adjective

Synonyms for stoop

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stoop ON THESAURUS.COM

1. lean, crouch.

Synonym study

1. See bend¹.

stoop

[stoop]

noun

a small raised platform, approached by steps and sometimes having a roof and seats, at the entrance of a house; a small porch.

Origin of stoop

1670–80, Americanism; < Dutch stoep; cognate with Middle Low German stōpe, German Stufe step in a stair. See step

stoop

[stoop]

noun

stoup.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stoop

squat, crouch, hunch, deign, sag, slouch, slump, droop, sink, incline, relax, dip, lean, slant, bow, bend, duck, cringe, kneel, descend

Examples from the Web for stoop

Contemporary Examples of stoop

Nobody ever says they want to become a cop so they can bust people for urinating in public or drinking alcohol on their stoop.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown
Michael Daly
January 7, 2015
Why stoop to intentional leaks and anonymous sources to push a defensive narrative?
Can We Trust The New York Times After the Abramson Debacle?
Joe Concha
May 19, 2014
The archetype of the disobedient Cossack who will not stoop to intimidation remains an important part of Ukrainian identity.
Cossacks: The Cowboys of Crimea
Kamil Tchorek
March 12, 2014
I had to sit on my stoop for a few minutes and think, ‘Did that just happen?’
Making It in the 2-1-2: How Kenneth Walsh Achieved His NY Dream
Tim Teeman
February 19, 2014
Then you see him stoop to something this kind of person would never do, steal a bicycle.
Mel Brooks’s 11 Favorite Movie Scenes: ‘Psycho’ to ‘Some Like It Hot’
Mel Brooks
May 20, 2013

Historical Examples of stoop

Harriett saw his stoop, and the taut, braced power of his back as he lifted.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair
No fools are they, in fact, even when to that name they 'stoop to conquer.'
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 14, 1870
Various
He showed no interest on seeing K., who had to stoop to enter the low room.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
In order to pass out he was obliged to stoop, so tall was he.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
I told him I did, and it was because I did and meant to do so to the last, that I would not stoop to propitiate any of them.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for stoop

stoop

verb (mainly intr)

(also tr) to bend (the body or the top half of the body) forward and downward

to carry oneself with head and shoulders habitually bent forward

(often foll by to) to abase or degrade oneself

(often foll by to) to condescend; deign

(of a bird of prey) to swoop down

archaic to give in

noun

the act, position, or characteristic of stooping

a lowering from a position of dignity or superiority

a downward swoop, esp of a bird of prey

Derived Formsstooper, nounstooping, adjectivestoopingly, adverb

Word Origin for stoop

Old English stūpan; related to Middle Dutch stupen to bow, Old Norse stūpa, Norwegian stupa to fall; see steep 1

stoop

noun

US and Canadian a small platform with steps up to it at the entrance to a building

Word Origin for stoop

C18: from Dutch stoep, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German stuofa stair, Old English stōpel footprint; see step

stoop

noun

archaic a pillar or post

Word Origin for stoop

C15: variant of dialect stulpe, probably from Old Norse stolpe; see stele

stoop

⁴

noun

a less common spelling of stoup

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stoop

"bend forward," Old English stupian "to bow, bend" (cognate with Middle Dutch stupen "to bow, bend"), from Proto-Germanic *stup-, from PIE *(s)teu- (see steep (adj.)). Figurative sense of "condescend" is from 1570s. Sense of "swoop" is first recorded 1570s in falconry.

"raised open platform at the door of a house," 1755, American and Canadian, from Dutch stoep "flight of steps, doorstep, stoop," from Middle Dutch, from Proto-Germanic *stopo "step" (see step).