have the drop on

Variant of drop

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, dropping 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
  6. to make lower or less; lower or lessen
  7. to make (the voice) less loud
  8. 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
  9. Informal to leave (a person or thing) at a specified place: often with off
  10. Slang
    1. to lose (money or a game)
    2. to spend (money)
  11. 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

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.