: material cut away from a tree
especially
: parts discarded in lumbering
lopped; lopping
1
a(1)
: to cut off branches or twigs from
(2)
: to sever from a woody plant
b(1)
archaic
: to cut off the head or limbs of
(2)
: to cut from a person
2
a
: to remove superfluous parts from
b
: to eliminate as unnecessary or undesirable
—usually used with off
Examples of lop in a Sentence
Verb (1)
the hair stylist started by lopping off several inches from her long tresses, before beginning to shape what was left
Recent Examples on the Web
Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 25 July 2023
Its performance, though flavored more along the lines of nutmeg than tabasco, whips up enthusiasm and lops off miles.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 15 June 2023
Al Weaver, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2025
The layoffs are expected to shrink HHS to 62,000 positions, lopping off nearly a quarter of its staff -- 10,000 jobs through layoffs and another 10,000 workers who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lop
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Noun
The plaintiffs described the final round of admissions, called the lop.
—Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 25 July 2023
Its performance, though flavored more along the lines of nutmeg than tabasco, whips up enthusiasm and lops off miles.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 15 June 2023
Verb
Senate Republicans are discussing staying in session through the weekend to complete work on nominations, with an eye toward lopping off work days at the end of next week and kicking off the recess by midweek.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2025
The layoffs are expected to shrink HHS to 62,000 positions, lopping off nearly a quarter of its staff -- 10,000 jobs through layoffs and another 10,000 workers who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lop
Cite this Entry
“Lop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lop. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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