plural cops
informal
: police officer
They called the cops to report a robbery.
As he awaits trial, the retired cop is on the other side of the law.—
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson… the department invests in officers and their futures by providing training that makes them better cops.—Laura Lane
Laura Lane
copped; copping
3
: adopt sense 2
cop an attitude
slang
: admit sense 2b
—used with to
these small-timers would … cop to the smallest offense their attorney could negotiate—Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
plural cops
1
copper
2
copulative
3
copy
4
copyright
Synonyms
Examples of cop in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a cop stopped her for speeding
Verb
I managed to cop an invitation.
He copped the idea from me.
They expected me to cop all the blame!
He copped the full force of the blow.
Recent Examples on the WebMadeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 May 2024
The cops then arrested and charged Cummings, who reportedly has a lengthy rap sheet with more than 20 prior arrests, according to the New York Post.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 12 May 2024
Minneapolis police Inspector Charlie Adams — one of Ford’s many interviewees — points to the throughline connecting the antebellum South’s slave patrols to today’s cops stopping Black people and requesting IDs.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
Read Next California Decomposed body down cliff posed mystery since 1967, CA cops say.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024
His unassailable character brings him into conflict with dirty cops and crooked politicians, alike.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 May 2024
And then one of the cops shoved his gun in Mr. Jenkins’ mouth and pulled the trigger.
—Jason Flom, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2024
No cops, no administration, no one’s going to protect us.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2024
Today's top stories: → Kids as young as 3 wounded in shooting at Fort Worth apartments
→ ‘Violent’ attack plan at North Texas middle school listed 32 students, teachers as targets
→ Jury deliberating on death or life in prison for killer who shot woman, cop
🚨Get free alerts when news breaks.
—Stefan Stevenson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2024
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024
That said, cop your friends this ski mask that makes all the difference.
—Anna Smoot, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
In more pretentious environments, copping at bargain basement prices might be frowned upon.
—Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023
Just a few spots down, Tony Bennett smiles next to British guitar great Jeff Beck, with beloved comedian/actor Pee Wee Herman copping a squat in the foreground.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2023
Costco Membership cards are not transferable, but that’s not stopped people from borrowing their family members’ or friends’ to cop some savings.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 28 June 2023
Now, both tennis fans and fashion fans alike can cop Coco’s style by picking up a pair of sneakers from Gauff’s New Balance collection online.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2023
Switch up the product, and your customers might cop from someone else.
—Vulture, 2 Aug. 2023
Years later, Meta copped TikTok’s format for its Reels offering on Instagram.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 4 July 2023
Noun
But almost immediately, the cops were out in force to shut things down.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 May 2024
The cops then arrested and charged Cummings, who reportedly has a lengthy rap sheet with more than 20 prior arrests, according to the New York Post.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 12 May 2024
Minneapolis police Inspector Charlie Adams — one of Ford’s many interviewees — points to the throughline connecting the antebellum South’s slave patrols to today’s cops stopping Black people and requesting IDs.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
Read Next California Decomposed body down cliff posed mystery since 1967, CA cops say.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024
His unassailable character brings him into conflict with dirty cops and crooked politicians, alike.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 May 2024
And then one of the cops shoved his gun in Mr. Jenkins’ mouth and pulled the trigger.
—Jason Flom, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2024
No cops, no administration, no one’s going to protect us.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2024
Today's top stories: → Kids as young as 3 wounded in shooting at Fort Worth apartments
→ ‘Violent’ attack plan at North Texas middle school listed 32 students, teachers as targets
→ Jury deliberating on death or life in prison for killer who shot woman, cop
🚨Get free alerts when news breaks.
—Stefan Stevenson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2024
Verb
But getting people to go on camera and talk about copping CDs added another layer to it.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024
That said, cop your friends this ski mask that makes all the difference.
—Anna Smoot, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
In more pretentious environments, copping at bargain basement prices might be frowned upon.
—Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023
Just a few spots down, Tony Bennett smiles next to British guitar great Jeff Beck, with beloved comedian/actor Pee Wee Herman copping a squat in the foreground.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2023
Costco Membership cards are not transferable, but that’s not stopped people from borrowing their family members’ or friends’ to cop some savings.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 28 June 2023
Now, both tennis fans and fashion fans alike can cop Coco’s style by picking up a pair of sneakers from Gauff’s New Balance collection online.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2023
Switch up the product, and your customers might cop from someone else.
—Vulture, 2 Aug. 2023
Years later, Meta copped TikTok’s format for its Reels offering on Instagram.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 4 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Cop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cop. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cop
1 of 2 verb
copped; copping
1
slang
: to get hold of : capture entry 2 sense 1a
2
slang
: steal entry 1 sense 2a
3
: adopt sense 2
cop an attitude
Etymology
Verb
probably from Dutch kapen "to steal"
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