cropper

1 of 2

noun (1)

crop·​per ˈkrä-pər 

1

: one that crops

2

: one that raises crops

specifically : sharecropper

cropper

2 of 2

noun (2)

1

: a severe fall

2

: a sudden or violent failure or collapse

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• defeat
• failure
• collapse
• crash

Examples of cropper in a Sentence

Noun (2)

more than a few people were glad to see the obnoxiously smug skater come a cropper at the national championships

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The family-friend label came a cropper after it was slapped with a multi-million-dollar copyright lawsuit by Disney, Warner Bros. and other major Hollywood studios for making unauthorized cuts – of scenes deemed unsuitable for family viewing by the brothers – to their movies and series. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 June 2025

In January, 1813, at York Castle, fourteen croppers stood trial for rioting and machine breaking, which Parliament had deemed a capital offense in the new Frame-Breaking Act. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025

Zelensky came a cropper when trying the same thing — but his stock soared back home at a time when Trump seems to be trying to oust him. —Stephen Collinson, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025

DeSantis' landslide will likely turn out to be the historically most important result from last Tuesday, akin to but with even greater consequences than George W. Bush's victory in Texas in 1998, another midterm year in which the GOP otherwise came a cropper. —Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2022

But on closer inspection, there are differences: This cropper is shirtless, his backside a bit too pert, and the stalks of asparagus growing from the ground are, in fact, penises. —Max Norman David Chow Victoria Petro-Conroy, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022

Intent is where the Manhattan District Attorney’s financial case seemed to come a cropper. —Norman Eisen, CNN, 30 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, "a person who reaps crops or trims trees," from croppen "to crop entry 2" + -er -er entry 2

Noun (2)

of uncertain origin

Note: The Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, suggests some relationship with the phrase neck and crop "completely, entirely," usually in reference to a fall or to expulsion from a place. Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary records crop in the sense "neck, throat" from a few northern and western locations; presumably this is a sense of crop entry 1. In this event, neck and crop would be a joining of two synonyms. Whatever value these hints have, a full etymology is lacking.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cropper

• come a cropper

Rhymes for cropper

• chopper
• copper
• dropper
• pauper
• popper
• proper
• shopper
• stopper
• topper
• whopper
• eavesdropper
• grasshopper

Kids Definition

cropper

1 of 2 noun

crop·​per ˈkräp-ər 

: one that crops

especially : sharecropper

cropper

2 of 2 noun

1

: a severe fall

2

: a sudden or violent failure or collapse