stoop

[ stoop ]

/ stup /

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See synonyms for: stoop / stooped / stooping 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR stoop

1 lean, crouch.

See synonyms for stoop on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of stoop

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb stoupen, stupen, Old English stūpian; cognate with Middle Dutch stūpen “to bend, bow”; akin to steep¹

synonym study for stoop

1. See bend¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM stoop

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

un·stoop·ing, adjective

Words nearby stoop

stookie, stool, stool ball, stool pigeon, stooly, stoop, stoop ball, stoop labor, stoop to, stoor, stoozing

Other definitions for stoop (2 of 3)

stoop²

[ stoop ]

/ stup /

noun

a small porch or platform at the entrance to a house, or the steps leading up to it.

Origin of stoop

An Americanism dating back to 1670–80; from Dutch stoep; cognate with Middle Low German stōpe, German Stufe “step (in a stair)”; see step

Other definitions for stoop (3 of 3)

stoop³

[ stoop ]

/ stup /

noun

stoup.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stoop in a sentence

From a polished stoop in East Baltimore to a perfectly filtered Instagram photo, there is danger and power to the images we craft of ourselves.
At the Smithsonian, a photographic portrait of East Baltimore, decades before the dawn of the selfie era|Kelsey Ables|August 26, 2021|Washington Post
We stood on our balconies and stoops and leaned out windows to clap for front-line workers.
Still Unsure About Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine? Start Here.|Kaleigh Rogers|August 11, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Adjoining stoops and fire escapes provided prime viewing and were highly functional for mothers and older people.
The city inside our heads|MIT Technology Review|April 28, 2021|MIT Technology Review
I knocked a door in my last campaign with a woman crying on her stoop because she was losing her housing.
“The People We Serve Are Paying Too Much for Energy:” Virginia Lawmakers Are Targeting Dominion Energy|by Patrick Wilson and Mel Leonor, Richmond Times-Dispatch|January 29, 2021|ProPublica

Dogs that had originally arrived by ship as far back as the early 1800s got that name after the pots with dregs of burned peas and rice put out on the stoops for them at week’s end.
I have the pandemic to thank for this precious time with my old hound, Teddy|Diana Nyad|December 21, 2020|Washington Post
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
I would even, I decided, stoop to having him thrown in jail on a phony charge, if that should be necessary.
Nine Men in Time|Noel Miller Loomis
Ask yourself if I have ever done a single thing which would indicate that I would stoop to the slaughter of the innocent.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Oh, how it makes a poor fellow's back ache, to stoop down and weed onions for half a day.
Mike Marble|Uncle Frank
Near the low ceiling of the watch-house several hammocks are slung, obliging men to stoop a little as they move about.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
To use the language of the talented Mr. Whipper, "they cannot be raised in this country, without being stoop shouldered."
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States|Martin R. Delany

British Dictionary definitions for stoop (1 of 4)

stoop¹

/ (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 forms of stoop

stooper, 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

British Dictionary definitions for stoop (2 of 4)

stoop²

/ (stuːp) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for stoop (3 of 4)

stoop³

/ (stuːp) /

noun

archaic a pillar or post

Word Origin for stoop

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

British Dictionary definitions for stoop (4 of 4)

stoop⁴

/ (stuːp) /

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

stoop

OTHER WORDS FOR stoop

Origin of stoop

synonym study for stoop

OTHER WORDS FROM stoop

Words nearby stoop

Other definitions for stoop (2 of 3)

Origin of stoop

Other definitions for stoop (3 of 3)

Words related to stoop

How to use stoop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stoop (1 of 4)

Derived forms of stoop

Word Origin for stoop

British Dictionary definitions for stoop (2 of 4)

Word Origin for stoop

British Dictionary definitions for stoop (3 of 4)

Word Origin for stoop

British Dictionary definitions for stoop (4 of 4)