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drop Definition

drop (dräp)

noun

  1. a small quantity of liquid that is somewhat spherical, as when falling
  2. a very small quantity of liquid
  3. liquid medicine taken or applied in drops
  4. a very small quantity of anything
  5. a thing like a drop in shape or size, as a pendent earring or a small piece of candy
  6. the act or fact of dropping; a fall, descent, slump, or decrease a drop in prices
  7. the dropping of troops or supplies by parachute; airdrop
  8. anything that drops or is used for dropping or covering something, as a drop curtain or piece of theater scenery, a drop hammer, or a trapdoor
  9. a receptacle or slot into which something is dropped
  10. the distance between a higher and lower level; distance through which anything falls or sinks
  11. ☆ Slang
    1. a clandestine place or person that is used for depositing or holding messages, something stolen or illegal, etc.
    2. a deposit made in such a place or with such a person

Etymology: ME drope < OE dropa, akin to ON drūpa, droop, Ger triefen: for IE base see drip

intransitive verb dropped, drop′·ping

  1. to fall in drops
  2. to fall; come down
  3. to fall exhausted, wounded, or dead
  4. to pass into a specified state, esp. into a less active or less desirable one to drop off to sleep
  5. to come to an end or to nothing to let a matter drop
  6. to become lower or less, as temperatures, prices, etc.
  7. to move down with a current of water or air

transitive verb

  1. to let or make fall; release hold of
  2. to give birth to: said of animals
  3. to utter (a suggestion, hint, etc.) casually
  4. to send (a letter)
  5. to cause to fall, as by wounding, killing, or hitting
    1. to stop, end, or have done with
    2. to dismiss
  7. to make lower or less; lower or lessen
  8. to make (the voice) less loud
  9. to drop (troops or supplies) by parachute; airdrop
    1. to omit (a letter or sound) in a word
    2. to cut out; remove; omit she dropped a chapter when she rewrote the book
  11. Informal to leave (a person or thing) at a specified place: often with off
  12. Slang
    1. to lose (money or a game)
    2. to spend (money)
  13. Slang to take (a hallucinogenic drug, barbiturate, etc.) orally

drop Idioms

a drop in the bucket

Informal an insufficient or trifling amount

at the drop of a hat

☆

immediately; at the slightest provocation

drop back

  1. to move back; retreat
  2. drop behind

drop behind

to be outdistanced; fall behind

drop in

or drop over or drop by

to pay a casual or unexpected visit

drop off

  1. to become fewer or less; decline; decrease
  2. Informal to fall asleep

drop out

to stop being a member or participant

get (or have) the drop on

☆
  1. to draw and aim one's gun at (another) more quickly than the person can draw and aim at one
  2. to get (or have) any advantage over

drop Synonyms

drop

n.

  1. Enough fluid to fall

    drip, trickle, droplet, globule, bead, tear, teardrop, dewdrop, raindrop, dribble.

  2. A lowering or falling

    fall, reduction, decrease, slide, descent, slump, lapse, slip, decline, downturn, upset, precipitation, lessening, falling-off, plunge, precipice, declivity, slope, dip; see also fall 1.

  3. A small quantity

    speck, dash, dab; see bit 1.

at the drop of a hat<strong>*

without warning, at the slightest provocation, quickly; see immediately.

get the drop on<strong>*

take advantage of, seize the advantage, defeat; see succeed 1, use 1.

drop Synonyms

drop

v.

  1. To fall in drops

    drip, fall, dribble, trickle, descend, leak, ooze, percolate, emanate, distill, precipitate (out), seep, drain, filter, sink, bleed, bead, splash, rain, snow, purl, trill down, plash, plump, hail; see also rain.

    Antonyms rise*, spurt*, squirt. *

  2. To cause or permit to fall

    let go, let fall, release, give up, shed, relinquish, abandon, discard, loosen, lower, plump, floor, ground, shoot, knock down, fell, unload, deposit, topple; see also down, dump.

    Antonyms raise*, elevate*, send up.

  3. To tumble

    cave in, plummet, sink, collapse; see faint, fall 1.

  4. To discontinue

    give up, quit, leave out; see abandon 1, dismiss 1, 2, omit 1.

  5. *To break off an acquaintance

    break with, part from, snub, cut, abandon, cast off, forsake, desert, leave, forget about, divorce, become alienated from, separate, withdraw, repudiate, fling aside, have done with, turn one's back on, lose*, ditch*, write off*, shake*, throw over*, brush off*; see also abandon 2.

    Antonyms invite*, welcome*, make friends with.

  6. To become lower or less

    decline, diminish, dwindle; see decrease 1.

drop Telecom Definition

  1. The portion of a local loop that extends from a distribution cable terminal to a customer's building. A drop, or drop wire, generally is in the form of a cable containing one to five twisted pairs, or perhaps one or two optical fibers. The term refers to the fact that the small cable often drops from a larger aerial cable suspended above the ground from poles. See also cable and local loop.
  2. The portion of an inside wire and cable system that drops from a false ceiling, also known as drop ceiling, perhaps connecting to a pre-wired cubicle or electrical pole, rather than directly to an electrically powered device.

drop Usage Examples

Object

  • bomb: For in his very last paragraph he drops a bomb.
  • curb: The dropped kerbs in New Zealand have to be experienced however.
  • litter: Members of the public caught dropping litter will also continue to be hit with £ 50 fixed penalty notices.
  • bombshell: Then her Aunt Tabitha drops a bombshell: they are moving.
  • anchor: DAY 7 Wednesday Ithaca Today we drop anchor at a fascinating bay of Ithaca for swimming off the vessel.

Preposition: down

menu: Using the drop down menus at the top of the window go to Tools Accounts.

Preposition: through

letterbox: Next morning we had a brochure from a company called " Ches Nous " drop through the letterbox.

Adjective modifier

  • sudden: But there has not been a sudden drop in the numbers of new donors registering immediately after the change in the law.
  • steep: Beware of the steep drop into Gardyloo Gully on your right.
  • sheer: It may be better undertaken during the cover of darkness as this hides many of the sheer drops!

Modifies a noun

  • earring: Elegant small drop earrings in silver & white pearls are perfect for evening wear.
  • zone: Or maybe I should have said the continued battle to get away from the drop zone.
  • shadow: There was a white halo visible in the drop shadow, and this was removed with the blur tool.

Noun used with modifier

backhand: Parke controls most of the rallies, but Jonathan succeeds to place a few lethal backhand drop shots to equalize at 6/6.

Infinitive complement

zero: Could recession have been avoided if interest rates were dropped to zero right away?

Preposition: in

ocean: The report and service cost us £ 600 a drop in the ocean.

Preposition: of

  • hat: Maybe you're the kind of busy executive who has to dash off on overnight trips at the drop of the hat.
  • tincture: Dose is 25-40 drops of the berry tincture, up to 4 times a day.

Followed by an intransitive particle

off: All trees must be dropped off by 15 January.

Preposition: by

parachute: They were dropped by parachute and seemed to have a delayed fuse.