drooped; drooping; droops
1
: to hang or incline downward
2
: to sink gradually
3
: to become depressed or weakened : languish
: to let droop
Synonyms
Examples of droop in a Sentence
Verb
The flowers were drooping in the hot sun.
Her eyelids drooped as she grew tired.
The tree's branches drooped under the weight of the snow.
His spirits drooped when he didn't get the job.
Noun
tighten the line at the top of the banner so there won't be so much droop
Recent Examples on the Web
Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2023
This travel pillow is supportive with seat-attachment straps to prevent your head from drooping, along with another strap for under your chin.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Travel + Leisure, 27 July 2023
The city's architecture and pristine parks, complete with drooping live oak trees that cast a kaleidoscope of shadows over the sidewalks, provide an idyllic backdrop for a culinary scene that's deeply rooted in the local landscape.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Aug. 2023
While recovering at the hospital, her mother, Elaine Micelli, struggled to use her left arm, and one side of her face drooped.
—Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 Aug. 2023
Earlier this month, PEOPLE exclusively announced that Spears would be drooping her new memoir, The Woman in Me, on Oct. 24.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 20 July 2023
In most cases, thinner is better, but these types of monitors often droop at an angle or waver with the slightest breeze of wind.
—Hunter Fenollol, Popular Mechanics, 31 May 2023
Fill Your Space with Fresh Flowers Replenish that drooping vase with your fresh garden blooms to brighten any tablescape or dark corner.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 26 July 2023
The long, 20-inch hose sprayer features a powerful magnet that keeps it docked in place and avoids drooping.
—Rachel Simon, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 May 2023
Jay Katsir, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2023
The model also features an adjustable droop nose that can be lowered to make takeoff visibility better, just like the actual plane.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2023
With the insert, your bag will stay in shape and won't slouch or droop.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2023
Once flowers start to droop, snap them off so the plant can focus on new growth.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 June 2023
First, with an easier path for power to flow, circuits on the CPU experience less voltage droop; in other words, there is a smaller transient fall in voltage when demand for current increases from, say, a large block of logic switching on.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 June 2023
Breakover and departure angles also have been improved, while an electronically disconnecting front anti-roll bar translates to more than five additional inches of suspension droop in frame-twisting situations, as well as considerably less head toss when traversing uneven terrain.
—Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 15 Nov. 2021
What To Do if Someone Is Having a Stroke To determine whether to call 911, the CDC has developed an acronym (FAST) to refer to in emergencies: Face – The person’s face droops when trying to smile.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2023
So much spark has been backed out by the anti-detonation electronics that the horsepower curve droops like licorice in the sun.
—Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023
See More
Verb
There’s a finished painting in Hughes’s studio called Cherry in Lace, of an imaginary tree bathed in reds and pinks with long drooping branches covered with tiny white blossoms.
—Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2023
This travel pillow is supportive with seat-attachment straps to prevent your head from drooping, along with another strap for under your chin.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Travel + Leisure, 27 July 2023
The city's architecture and pristine parks, complete with drooping live oak trees that cast a kaleidoscope of shadows over the sidewalks, provide an idyllic backdrop for a culinary scene that's deeply rooted in the local landscape.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Aug. 2023
While recovering at the hospital, her mother, Elaine Micelli, struggled to use her left arm, and one side of her face drooped.
—Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 Aug. 2023
Earlier this month, PEOPLE exclusively announced that Spears would be drooping her new memoir, The Woman in Me, on Oct. 24.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 20 July 2023
In most cases, thinner is better, but these types of monitors often droop at an angle or waver with the slightest breeze of wind.
—Hunter Fenollol, Popular Mechanics, 31 May 2023
Fill Your Space with Fresh Flowers Replenish that drooping vase with your fresh garden blooms to brighten any tablescape or dark corner.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 26 July 2023
The long, 20-inch hose sprayer features a powerful magnet that keeps it docked in place and avoids drooping.
—Rachel Simon, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 May 2023
Noun
These sure don’t look like a septuagenarian’s earlobes: zero droop, no unsightly hair.
—Jay Katsir, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2023
The model also features an adjustable droop nose that can be lowered to make takeoff visibility better, just like the actual plane.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2023
With the insert, your bag will stay in shape and won't slouch or droop.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2023
Once flowers start to droop, snap them off so the plant can focus on new growth.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 June 2023
First, with an easier path for power to flow, circuits on the CPU experience less voltage droop; in other words, there is a smaller transient fall in voltage when demand for current increases from, say, a large block of logic switching on.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 June 2023
Breakover and departure angles also have been improved, while an electronically disconnecting front anti-roll bar translates to more than five additional inches of suspension droop in frame-twisting situations, as well as considerably less head toss when traversing uneven terrain.
—Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 15 Nov. 2021
What To Do if Someone Is Having a Stroke To determine whether to call 911, the CDC has developed an acronym (FAST) to refer to in emergencies: Face – The person’s face droops when trying to smile.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2023
So much spark has been backed out by the anti-detonation electronics that the horsepower curve droops like licorice in the sun.
—Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'droop.' 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
Middle English drupen, from Old Norse drūpa; akin to Old English dropa drop
First Known Use
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1647, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of droop was
in the 13th century
Dictionary Entries Near droop
Cite this Entry
“Droop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/droop. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
droop
1 of 2 verb1
: to sink, bend, or hang down
2
: to become depressed or weak
droopy
adjective
ˈdrü-pē
droop
2 of 2 noun
: the condition or appearance of drooping
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