stoop

[ stoop ]

/ stup /

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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.

Nearby words

Origin of stoop

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

SYNONYMS FOR stoop

1. lean, crouch.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stoop ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

un·stoop·ing, adjective

Synonym study

1. See bend¹.

stoop

[ stoop ]

/ stup /

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 ]

/ stup /

noun

stoup.

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The first thing Buddy did was to stoop and study attentively the dead snake, to see if the tail still wiggled.
Cow-Country|B. M. Bower
He would have to stoop and drink out of her hands as the prince had done out of Olga's.
The Little Colonel's Knight Comes Riding|Annie Fellows Johnston
No—of course she was not jealous; she could not stoop to anything so mean.
Frances Kane's Fortune|L. T. Meade
We are surrounded by utilities, but we must stoop to appropriate them.
Harmonies of Political Economy|Frdric Bastiat
He ran back but could get no further than within a stoop length of the old shaft.
The Underworld|James C. Welsh

British Dictionary definitions for stoop

stoop

/ (stuːp) /

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

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

noun

archaic a pillar or post

Word Origin for stoop

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

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

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.

stoop

"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).

stoop

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

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Origin of stoop

Synonym study

stoop

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stoop

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Examples from the Web for stoop

stoop

verb (mainly intr)

noun

Word Origin for stoop

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Word Origin for stoop

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Word Origin for stoop

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stoop

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