drop

noun, often attributive

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\ ˈdräp

Definition of drop

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(1) : the quantity of fluid that falls in one spherical mass a drop of rain

(2) drops plural : a dose of medicine measured by drops eye drops for dilating the pupil of the eye

b : a minute quantity or degree of something nonmaterial or intangible not a drop of meanness in her

c : a small quantity of drink hasn't touched a drop of alcohol in three years

d : the smallest practical unit of liquid measure

2 : something that resembles a liquid drop: such as

a : a pendent ornament attached to a piece of jewelry also : an earring with such a pendant

b : a small globular cookie or candy sucking on lemon drops

3 [drop entry 2]

a : the act or an instance of dropping : fall a sudden, short drop in an elevator

b : a decline in quantity or quality His income took a sudden drop. a drop in demand

c : a descent by parachute also : the people or equipment dropped by parachute expecting another drop this week

d : a place or central depository to which something (such as mail, money, or stolen property) is brought for distribution or transmission left the package at the drop also : the act of depositing something at such a place made the drop

4a : the distance from a higher to a lower level or through which something drops It's a twenty-foot drop from the top of the fence. a steep drop

b electrical engineering : a decrease in electric potential (see potential entry 2 sense 2b)

5 : a slot into which something is to be dropped

6 [drop entry 2] : something that drops, hangs, or falls: such as

a : a movable plate that covers the keyhole of a lock

b : an unframed piece of cloth stage scenery also : drop curtain

c : a hinged platform on a gallows

d : a fallen fruit

7 : the advantage of having an opponent covered (see cover entry 1 sense 1b(2)) with a firearm broadly : advantage, superiority —usually used in the phrase get the drop on waiting to get the drop on me

8 : a move back from the line of scrimmage (as in preparation for making a forward pass) a quick drop

at the drop of a hat

: as soon as the slightest provocation is given : immediately loses her temper at the drop of a hat

drop in the bucket

: a part so small as to be negligible

drop

verb

dropped; dropping

Definition of drop (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to fall in drops

2a(1) : to fall (see fall entry 1 sense 1a) unexpectedly or suddenly The book dropped from her hand.

(2) : to descend (see descend sense 1) from one line or level to another the land drops to sea level

b : to fall in a state of collapse (see collapse entry 2 sense 1b) or death dropped from exhaustion

c of a playing card : to become played by reason of the obligation to follow suit

d : to fall or roll into a hole or basket

3 : to enter or pass as if without conscious effort of will (see will entry 2 sense 4a) into some state, condition, or activity dropped into sleep

4a : to cease to be of concern : lapse let the matter drop

b : to pass from view or notice : disappear —often used with out drop out of sight

c : to become less production dropped —often used with off

5 nautical : to move with a favoring wind or current —usually used with down We dropped down the harbor.

6 informal : to be released to the public His latest solo album dropped in August …— Ed Rampell The second Podcast drops Nov. 14 and can be downloaded free …— Langston Wertz Jr. There's also something to be said for jumping on a subscription for a month or two, say when a big, new game drops.— Adam Rosenberg

transitive verb

1 : to let fall : cause to fall dropped the ball dropping bombs on the city

2a : give up sense 2, abandon drop an idea drop the charges

b : discontinue dropped what she was doing

c : to break off an association or connection with : dismiss drop her old friends was dropped by his sponsors students who dropped the class

3a : to utter or mention in a casual way drop a suggestion drop names

b : write drop us a line soon

4a : to lower or cause to descend from one level or position to another drop the hem two inches drop the water level

b : to cause to lessen or decrease : reduce dropped his speed

5 of an animal : to give birth to

6a : lose dropped three games dropped $50 in a poker game

b : spend drop $20 for lunch

c : to get rid of dropped 20 pounds

7a : to bring down with a shot or a blow dropped the buck with one shot dropping the world champion in the ring

b card games : to cause a cardholder to unwillingly play (a high card) dropped her ace

c : to toss or roll into a hole or basket drop a putt

8a : to deposit or deliver during a usually brief stop —usually used with off drop the kids off at school

b : air-drop drop the supplies to the medical team

9 : to cause (the voice) to be less loud

10a linguistics : to leave (a letter representing a speech sound) unsounded drop the g in running

b : to leave out in writing : omit accidentally dropped a whole line

11 : to draw from an external point drop a perpendicular to the line

12 : to take (a drug) orally : swallow drop acid

drop a dime

: to inform authorities (such as the police) of another's wrongdoing

drop behind

: to fail to keep up

drop the ball

: to make a mistake especially by failing to take timely, effective, or proper action

Other Words from drop Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing drop Learn More About drop

Synonyms & Antonyms for drop

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Verb

Examples of drop in a Sentence

Noun He squeezed the bottle until a few drops came out. She doesn't have a single drop of selfishness in her. The poet wrings the last drop of meaning from every word. Verb Be careful not to drop the chair on your foot. She dropped the apple core into the trash can. They dropped bombs on the city. He dropped the vase and it shattered into pieces. The player dropped the ball. The pen rolled to the edge of the table and dropped to the floor. The book dropped from my hand. The ball dropped between the right and center fielders. She was so tired she felt she would drop. He worked until he dropped. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The foreign policy debacle forced the White House to scramble to airlift thousands of vulnerable Afghans to safety, as a president who ran on experience and competency saw his approval drop. — Eli Stokolsstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2022 Though everyone in the house knows what’s coming next, the anticipation builds like a roller coaster inching closer to its first big drop. — Kwasi Boadi, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2022 Facebook parent Meta reported its first ever quarterly revenue drop on Wednesday and plans to cut costs. — Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 July 2022 Meta, Facebook's parent company, posted its first revenue drop since going public in 2012 -- a sign Facebook is in decline. — Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 28 July 2022 For their latest product drop, Janji hired Indonesian artist Arwin Hidayat. — Kassondra Cloos, Outside Online, 28 July 2022 However: Mortgage rates just saw their biggest drop since 2008. — Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 25 July 2022 The stock is on track for its second-largest daily percentage drop on record. — Chelsey Dulaney, WSJ, 22 July 2022 To celebrate the launch of her Flutur 2 drop with Puma, Dua Lipa hit the dance floor. — Bianca Betancourt, Harper's BAZAAR, 16 July 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Taiwan is now bracing for Beijing to begin live-fire military drills on Thursday — an escalation without recent historical precedent — that could encircle the island and drop missiles into seas only 10 miles from its coast. — Paul Mozur, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2022 The team’s current payroll stands at a club-record $177 million, according to Cot’s Sports Contracts, but is expected to drop next year as the salaries of several veterans drop off the books. — Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 The iPhone 13 Pro was only able to drop to 10Hz, which likely wasn’t suitable for an always-on display. — Jacob Siegal, BGR, 2 Aug. 2022 Each storm cell could potentially drop 1 to 3 inches of rain, said Connie Clarstrom, a senior meteorologist with the weather service in Medford. — Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2022 Discounting the sales drop there, international growth would have been up by double digits, the company said Tuesday. — Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, 2 Aug. 2022 Monday saw highs finally drop across much of Oregon, and Portland ended its run of 95-degree days. — oregonlive, 1 Aug. 2022 Come back to Planet Earth and drop into your heart. — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Aug. 2022 Walmart told shareholders to expect their earning per share for the second quarter to drop around 8—9% and decline to the 11-13% range for FY 2023. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 1 Aug. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About drop

Dictionary Entries Near drop

droopy

drop

drop a bomb

Statistics for drop

Last Updated

5 Aug 2022

Cite this Entry

“Drop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drop. Accessed 9 Aug. 2022.

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More Definitions for drop

drop

noun

\ ˈdräp

Kids Definition of drop

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a small amount of liquid that falls in a rounded shape

2 drops plural : liquid medicine measured by drops ear drops

3 : something (as a small round candy) that is shaped like a liquid drop

4 : a small amount I'll have just a drop of tea.

5 : the distance of a fall a 20-foot drop

6 : a decrease in amount or quality a drop in sales

7 : an act of delivering something : a place where something is left to be picked up a mail drop

drop

verb

dropped; dropping

Kids Definition of drop (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to fall or let fall often by accident I dropped my ice cream cone!

2 : to go down suddenly The cliff drops straight down.

3 : to go or make lower The temperature dropped. He dropped his voice.

4 : to become less or make less Business has dropped.

5 : lose sense 5

6 : disappear sense 1 They dropped out of sight.

7 : to stop or let end Let the matter drop.

8 : quit Don't drop out of school.

9 : to make a brief visit We dropped in on a friend.

10 : to deliver with a quick stop Mom dropped us off at school.

11 : send sense 1 Drop me a note.

drop off

: to fall asleep

drop

noun

\ ˈdräp

Medical Definition of drop

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the quantity of fluid that falls in one spherical mass

b drops plural : a dose of medicine measured by drops eye drops for dilating the pupil of the eye

2 : the smallest practical unit of liquid measure that varies in size according to the specific gravity and viscosity of the liquid and to the conditions under which it is formed — compare minim

drop

verb

dropped; dropping

Medical Definition of drop (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to fall in drops

transitive verb

1 of an animal : to give birth to lambs dropped in June

2 : to take (a drug) orally drop acid