: 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
Synonyms
Examples of lop in a Sentence
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
Beneath the lop layer is the white, spongy pith, which is unpleasantly bitter.
—Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appétit, 22 Mar. 2023
What better way to remedy all of that than with a significant lop?
—Didi Gluck, Allure, 2 Mar. 2023
The loafer shape gives it a snappier look than your average slip-on, while the dusty rose shade offers a lop of color.
—Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Jan. 2022
Others turn just once from stiff to squishy, letting an animal like a starfish lop off one of its own arms to escape a predator.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2017
Apatow wears shade 203 in the outer part of the lip and slightly shade 10 to the center of the lop to create a gradient and make the lips appear even fuller.
—ELLE, 7 July 2022
With a base of biodegradable and recyclable rubber, a suede-y lop layer also features UV-protection to prevent fading with outdoor use.
—Vogue, 8 Jan. 2022
Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 13 July 2023
The canvas is turned vertically and the top of the taller tree appears lopped off to compress its shape into a bulky, churning mass.
—Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 11 May 2023
Her former business partner Sunny Balwani also had two years lopped off his sentence.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 11 July 2023
In fact, in the last three weeks, the Sox have lopped 2½ games off their deficit to the Jays and two from their gap with the Astros.
—Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2023
The plan also increases the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000, allowing property owners to lop that off of the taxable value of their principal residence.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas News, 14 July 2023
Hadley often lops off her tales in mid-stride: The final sentence lands with an abrupt thud, pushing readers into the negative space of unwritten scenes.
—Hamilton Cain, Washington Post, 8 July 2023
There’s no game clock in that final period, but after every five minutes of play, one player will be lopped off each team’s on-field roster until that winning goal is scored. Dempsey, said Friel, was instrumental in shaping the tournament’s unique rules and format, including the substitution rule.
—Michael Silverman, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023
Some fish retain their heads, some have been lopped off.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 6 May 2021
What is the best way to lop about 1 foot of height off?
—oregonlive, 29 Jan. 2023
Parents may be tempted to lop off the asymmetrical-faced end of this.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2012
The plan would generally restore pre-pandemic rail service, but lop off part of the Yellow Line, which would cease operations north of Mount Vernon Square.
—Justin George, Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2022
Barb Cooksley, a rancher in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, sets a personal goal to lop at least 1,000 trees each year to keep her family’s patch of prairie thriving.
—WIRED, 23 Nov. 2022
Within hours, the gates of the most notorious symbol of the Cold War opened for good, as champagne flowed and jubilant Germans with pickaxes began to lop off large chunks of the wall.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 June 2022
In mid-spring, before the plants start to show signs of flowers, lop off the two- to three-foot-high stalks.
—Bon Appétit, 29 Apr. 2022
With the weather heating up, this is a sweet way to lop off extra layers, but with a sweet, fresh twist.
—Elle Turner, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2022
See More
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
Beneath the lop layer is the white, spongy pith, which is unpleasantly bitter.
—Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appétit, 22 Mar. 2023
What better way to remedy all of that than with a significant lop?
—Didi Gluck, Allure, 2 Mar. 2023
The loafer shape gives it a snappier look than your average slip-on, while the dusty rose shade offers a lop of color.
—Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Jan. 2022
Others turn just once from stiff to squishy, letting an animal like a starfish lop off one of its own arms to escape a predator.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2017
Apatow wears shade 203 in the outer part of the lip and slightly shade 10 to the center of the lop to create a gradient and make the lips appear even fuller.
—ELLE, 7 July 2022
With a base of biodegradable and recyclable rubber, a suede-y lop layer also features UV-protection to prevent fading with outdoor use.
—Vogue, 8 Jan. 2022
Verb
The exemptions work this way: On school taxes, a residence declared as a homestead currently gets $40,000 lopped off its taxable value.
—Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 13 July 2023
The canvas is turned vertically and the top of the taller tree appears lopped off to compress its shape into a bulky, churning mass.
—Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 11 May 2023
Her former business partner Sunny Balwani also had two years lopped off his sentence.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 11 July 2023
In fact, in the last three weeks, the Sox have lopped 2½ games off their deficit to the Jays and two from their gap with the Astros.
—Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2023
The plan also increases the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000, allowing property owners to lop that off of the taxable value of their principal residence.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas News, 14 July 2023
Hadley often lops off her tales in mid-stride: The final sentence lands with an abrupt thud, pushing readers into the negative space of unwritten scenes.
—Hamilton Cain, Washington Post, 8 July 2023
There’s no game clock in that final period, but after every five minutes of play, one player will be lopped off each team’s on-field roster until that winning goal is scored. Dempsey, said Friel, was instrumental in shaping the tournament’s unique rules and format, including the substitution rule.
—Michael Silverman, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023
Some fish retain their heads, some have been lopped off.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
Verb
Those wishing to mark the arrival of warmer weather with close-cropped chop—or simply lop off manes grown in quarantine—have a new bad gal advocate: Rihanna.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 6 May 2021
What is the best way to lop about 1 foot of height off?
—oregonlive, 29 Jan. 2023
Parents may be tempted to lop off the asymmetrical-faced end of this.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2012
The plan would generally restore pre-pandemic rail service, but lop off part of the Yellow Line, which would cease operations north of Mount Vernon Square.
—Justin George, Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2022
Barb Cooksley, a rancher in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, sets a personal goal to lop at least 1,000 trees each year to keep her family’s patch of prairie thriving.
—WIRED, 23 Nov. 2022
Within hours, the gates of the most notorious symbol of the Cold War opened for good, as champagne flowed and jubilant Germans with pickaxes began to lop off large chunks of the wall.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 June 2022
In mid-spring, before the plants start to show signs of flowers, lop off the two- to three-foot-high stalks.
—Bon Appétit, 29 Apr. 2022
With the weather heating up, this is a sweet way to lop off extra layers, but with a sweet, fresh twist.
—Elle Turner, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lop.' 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
Noun
Middle English loppe
Verb (2)
perhaps imitative
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb (1)
1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Verb (2)
1578, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of lop was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing lop
Dictionary Entries Near lop
Cite this Entry
“Lop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lop. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
lop
verbˈläp
lopped; lopping
1
: to cut branches or twigs from a tree
2
: to remove unnecessary or undesirable parts from something
—usually used with off
lopper
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on lop
Nglish: Translation of lop for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of lop for Arabic Speakers
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