mope

1 of 2

verb

moped; moping

intransitive verb

1
: to give oneself up to brooding : become listless or dejected
I was feeling depressed and just moped around all day.
2
: to move slowly or aimlessly : dawdle
the little woman does mope along in trafficPaul Jones
3
archaic : to act in a dazed or stupid manner
moper noun
mopey adjective

mope

2 of 2

noun

1
: one that mopes
2
mopes plural : blues sense 1

Examples of mope in a Sentence

Verb Like a little child, he often moped when he didn't get what he wanted. we were in a rush, and the Sunday driver in front of us was just moping along
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
According to the director, Roberts proceeded to mope through the casting process, which included readings with the likes of Russell Crowe, Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024 Muriel finds Cameron moping and urges him to show Doc a little backbone. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2023 Princess Diana gallivanted, and moped, her way across Europe in a succession of designer outfits. Alex Marshall, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024 Spunky Ava, who dreams of becoming a surgeon and traveling the world, is not the kind to sit around and mope. Susan Young, Peoplemag, 25 Dec. 2023 According to a police report in the most recent robbery, the youth and two others grabbed the food delivery driver’s moped about 5 p.m. from outside the Chick-fil-A in the 3100 block of 14th Street NW and began pushing it eastbound in the 1300 block of Irving Street NW. Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023 Read full article The dump truck and moped each had two occupants at the time of the crash, Morrissey’s office said. Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Feb. 2023 Manolo Vega is not one to sit around and mope. Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Feb. 2022 Orangutans that achieve their goals, enjoy swinging with others, and always look on the bright side of the banana have longer lifespans than those who merely mope around the zoo. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 1 July 2011
Noun
Hen — given Junior’s job, is her name the film’s idea of a feminist pun? — mostly sits around and mopes. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2023 The plot, in which Swank is given little more to do than guzzle Costco-size bottles of liquor and mope, proceeds in somewhat somnambulist fashion, generating surprisingly little suspense even when Paige confronts a suspect whose identity has been telegraphed throughout the film. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023 Mostly, though, Ben mopes around watching Cassavetes, Ozu and Rohmer, reprimands his fellow losers and burnouts at the movie theater, and tries to catch the attention of (no points for guessing) white women. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2023 Did Brown mope? Dallas News, 10 Feb. 2023 Though many fans have turned their backs on the mope-rocker for his baffling anti-immigrant stance, many more have tucked their heads into the sand to hold onto the moody, disaffected lyrics that so explained our teenaged selves to us. Michelle Tea, Harper's BAZAAR, 7 Mar. 2023 Upcoming socially distanced concerts at the VBC include a solo acoustic show by Aaron Lewis, the frontman of early 2000s mope-rockers Staind who now performs as a country artist, March 14 in the South Hall. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 2 Mar. 2021 Alas, this murder leads to Louis' first vampiric mope session. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2022 Segel delivers another of his compellingly muted takes on a wary mope, constantly on the lookout for what will go wrong next. Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

probably from obsolete mop, mope fool

First Known Use

Verb

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mope was in 1568

Dictionary Entries Near mope

Cite this Entry

“Mope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mope. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mope

1 of 2 verb
moped; moping
1
: to be in a dull and gloomy state
2
: to move slowly and aimlessly : dawdle
moper noun

mope

2 of 2 noun
1
: a person who lacks energy or enthusiasm
2
plural : low spirits : blues
a fit of the mopes

More from Merriam-Webster on mope

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!