stoop

¹ American  

[stoop] / stup /

verb (used without object)

1. to bend the head and shoulders, or the body generally, forward and downward from an erect position.

   to stoop over a desk.

   Synonyms:

   crouch, lean

2. to carry the head and shoulders habitually bowed forward.

   to stoop from age.

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

4. to descend from one's level of dignity; condescend; deign.

   Don't stoop to argue with him.

5. to swoop down, as a hawk at prey.

6. to submit; yield.

7. Obsolete. to come down from a height.

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verb (used with object)

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

2. Archaic. to abase, humble, or subdue.

noun

1. the act or an instance of stooping.

2. a stooping position or carriage of body.

   The elderly man walked with a stoop.

3. a descent from dignity or superiority.

4. a downward swoop, as of a hawk.

stoop ² American  

[stoop] / stup /

noun

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

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stoop ³ American  

[stoop] / stup /

noun

1. stoup.

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stoop ¹ British  

/ stuːp /

verb

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

2. to carry oneself with head and shoulders habitually bent forward

3. (often foll by to) to abase or degrade oneself

4. (often foll by to) to condescend; deign

5. (of a bird of prey) to swoop down

6. archaic to give in

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noun

1. the act, position, or characteristic of stooping

2. a lowering from a position of dignity or superiority

3. a downward swoop, esp of a bird of prey

stoop ² British  

/ stuːp /

noun

1. a small platform with steps up to it at the entrance to a building

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stoop ³ British  

/ stuːp /

noun

1. archaic a pillar or post

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stoop ⁴ British  

/ stuːp /

noun

1. a less common spelling of stoup

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Related Words

See bend ¹.

Other Word Forms

• nonstooping adjective
• stooper noun
• stooping adjective
• stoopingly adverb
• unstooped adjective
• unstooping adjective

Etymology

Origin of stoop¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb stoupen, stupen, Old English stūpian; cognate with Middle Dutch stūpen “to bend, bow”; akin to steep ¹

Origin of stoop²

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

Example Sentences

For the architects, the descending bleachers constitute a “reverse stoop,” another monumentalized form, this time of the brownstone stoops that are the front-row seats to Harlem’s street life.

From The Wall Street Journal

He stooped to retrieve a fancy carved walking stick that was propped against one of the balloon’s anchoring stakes.

From Literature

As it turned out, the doorway already had an inhabitant: a stooped, ancient woman who blended effortlessly into the shadows.

From Literature

Cultivating a large garden, too, was difficult work—stooping over long rows of peas or collard greens, or keeping the rabbits or deer from eating your food.

From Literature

Relating his journey to becoming a visual storyteller, Thomas recalled growing up in “one of the worst slums of Philadelphia,” sitting on his front stoop reading Shakespeare, James Baldwin and Tennessee Williams, immersed and transported.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crouch
• hunch
• squat