outcrop

noun out·crop \ ˈau̇t-ˌkräp \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of outcrop

1 : a coming out of bedrock or of an unconsolidated deposit to the surface of the ground

2 : the part of a rock formation that appears at the surface of the ground

Recent Examples of outcrop from the Web

Six miles of trails crisscross the upland part of the park, while the eastern end of the ocean beach has a bedrock outcrop deeply scratched by the last receding glacier.

— BostonGlobe.com, "The 20 best beaches to visit in New England," 2 May 2018
Geologist Gary Robbins described the rocky outcrops, quartz dikes, and pre-historic volcanic activity in the area, which is on the Eastern Border Fault.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Manchester Edition," 1 May 2018
Above to our left, a massive volcanic outcrop, 9,193-foot Green Butte, rose into a gray sky.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Joining the ‘5 Percent Club’ at Mount Shasta," 22 Feb. 2018
Data from the vehicle's software air bag module suggests the car had stopped at the scenic highway outcrop overlooking the cliff and then accelerated off the road, Baarts said.

— eric levenson, CNN, "Officials trace the Hart family's final moves before fatal cliff crash," 4 Apr. 2018
These illuminated Christian manuscripts—at around 1,500 years old, perhaps the oldest of their kind in existence—belong to Abba Garima monastery, which is perched on a remote outcrop in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.

— The Economist, "Gospel truthsA symbolic struggle over ancient manuscripts," 22 Mar. 2018
The lodge sits 6,000 feet above sea level, atop a granite outcrop and amid a 35-square-mile snowfield amphitheater, offering knockout views of the peak of Denali—North America’s highest mountain—only ten miles to the northwest.

— andrew sessa, Condé Nast Traveler, "Sheldon Chalet Is the Most Luxe Way to Experience Alaska’s Denali National Park," 27 Feb. 2018
The beaches -- with silvery sands, rocky outcrops, and beautiful vistas -- are popular with surfers, day visitors, dog walkers and picnickers, prompting evironmental health officials to close the beaches as a precaution.

— amy lieu, Fox News, "California beaches reopen after raw sewage spill, investigation for cause ensues: report," 24 Jan. 2018
Some 2,000 years ago, perhaps, ancient artists in the Arabian desert climbed tall rock outcrops and carved life-size camels into the stone.

— nicholas st. fleur, New York Times, "Ancient Artists Carved Camels in Saudi Desert’s Stone," 15 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of outcrop

1805

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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outcrop

verb out·crop \ ˈau̇t-ˌkräp , ˌau̇t-ˈkräp \

Definition of outcrop

intransitive verb

1 : to project from the surrounding soil

ledges outcropping from the eroded slope

2 : to come to the surface : appear

Recent Examples of outcrop from the Web

But here Bidwell starts to feel wilder, as the Maidu and Middle and Upper Trails branch off into the foothills and toward the rock outcropping known as Monkey Face, and other trails dip into the dense riparian growth along Big Chico Creek.

— peter fish, San Francisco Chronicle, "Best secrets of small-town Chico’s big city park," 16 Mar. 2018
Shovels and Rope is a cool rockabilly outcropping of that movement.

— NOLA.com, "See the slew of excellent concerts coming up in New Orleans," 18 Jan. 2018
The petroglyphs were rediscovered after an 1881 wildfire devastated much of the region and burned off the vegetation that had covered the sandstone outcropping.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Vandal defaces historic Sanilac Petroglyphs carved by Great Lakes native Americans," 8 Sep. 2017
The trail through the preserve ends at a huge granite outcropping with the must-see expansive view of the marshes of Selden Creek and the 600-acre Selden Neck State Park — the largest island along the 410-mile-long Connecticut River.

— peter marteka, courant.com, "Preserving Land And Trailblazing In Hadlyme," 2 Sep. 2017
Between 1916 and 1972 sculptors created three huge bas-relief images of Lee, Davis and Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson on the side of Stone Mountain, an 80-story-high rock outcropping in Atlanta’s eastern suburbs.

— rick hampson, USA TODAY, "America's 'Confederate infrastructure:' Too big to hide, move or raze," 17 Aug. 2017
Keep reading here, as Brannen explores the geological record of that moment: a rock outcropping in central Wyoming.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: Don Jr.'s Email Evidence," 11 July 2017
As my friend’s words about the sublime subtleties of the discoveries made during her experience played through my mind, Beno raised a eucalyptus branch like a pointer toward a massive stone outcropping 20 yards ahead.

— eric hiss, New York Times, "Rapa Nui Is Remote. And Then There’s Its Isolated North Coast," 9 Nov. 2016
Perched on an outcropping at 3,000 feet, his Desert View Tower is the only structure for miles.

— kevin brass, WSJ, "The Business of Roadside Attractions," 28 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of outcrop

circa 1847

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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See words that rhyme with outcrop Nglish: Translation of outcrop for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about outcrop

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