Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

drop–off

play
noun \ˈdräp-ˌȯf\

Definition of drop–off

  1. 1 :  a very steep or perpendicular descent

  2. 2 :  a marked dwindling or decline a drop–off in attendance

  3. 3 :  the act or an instance of making a usually brief deposit or delivery drop–off points along the route

See drop–off defined for English-language learners

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

alt-5978a79b75e17
Trending: 'Transgender' Americans Face New Restrictions
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz
alt-5978cb55e8ba5
The Grammatical History of 'Awaken'/'Awoken'/'Awakened'

First Known Use of drop–off

1923

drop–off Synonyms

Synonyms
abatement, decline, decrement, dent, depletion, depression, diminishment, diminution, drop, drop-off, fall, falloff, loss, reduction, shrinkage, step-down
Antonyms
boost, enlargement, gain, increase, increment, raise, rise, step-up, uptick
Related Words
deduction, subtraction; downturn, slip, slump; curtailment, cut, cutback, retrenchment, shortening
Near Antonyms
accretion, accrual, accumulation, addition, supplement; continuation, extension; upswing, uptrend, upturn

DROP–OFF Defined for English Language Learners

drop-off

play
noun

Definition of drop–off for English Language Learners

  • : a very steep downward slope

  • : a very large decrease in level or amount

  • : the act of taking someone or something to a place and then leaving : the act of dropping someone or something off

Learn More about drop–off

  1. See words that rhyme with drop–off

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up drop–off? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

akimbo

play

set in a bent position

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. transgender Trump reverses military policy allowing transgender people to serve

  2. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  3. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  4. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  5. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

alt-5978cb55e8ba5
The Grammatical History of 'Awaken'/'Awoken'/'Awakened'

Or you can just go back to bed.

alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

image1358596246
Words About Word Play

Don't just eat your words—play with them!

alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

A variant spelling with a long history

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game