1
chiefly dialectal
: a piece of food dipped or steeped in a liquid
2
: a conciliatory or propitiatory bribe, gift, or gesture
standard operating procedure; standing operating procedure
Examples of sop in a Sentence
Noun
as a sop to the teachers' union for supporting his reelection campaign, the mayor promised to push for the abolition of the residency requirement
Verb
sopped the sponge with the detergent and began scrubbing the floor vigorously
my book fell in the swimming pool and was thoroughly sopped before I could fish it out
Recent Examples on the Web
Ivan Briscoe, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2019
The reinstatement was an obvious sop to the gambling industry, an MLB partner, and possibly also to President Donald Trump, who lobbied for Rose’s future election into the Hall of Fame.
—Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 1 June 2025
Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
All of the moisture cloaked over South Florida still has to fall and there won’t be enough Saharan dust to sop it up like a paper towel.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sop
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Noun
Yet there are also signals that any accommodation with the opposition will be at best halfhearted and at worst a tactical sop to be cast aside at the first opportunity.
—Ivan Briscoe, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2019
The reinstatement was an obvious sop to the gambling industry, an MLB partner, and possibly also to President Donald Trump, who lobbied for Rose’s future election into the Hall of Fame.
—Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 1 June 2025
Verb
Strain the sauce and drizzle some of it over the shredded pork (the pork should be lightly coated but not sopping wet).
—Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
All of the moisture cloaked over South Florida still has to fall and there won’t be enough Saharan dust to sop it up like a paper towel.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sop
Cite this Entry
“Sop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sop. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sop
1 of 2 noun1
chiefly dialect
: a piece of food dipped or soaked in a liquid (as bread dipped in milk or gravy)
2
: a bribe or gift for soothing or winning approval
sop
2 of 2 verb
sopped; sopping
1
a
: to soak or dip in or as if in liquid
b
: to wet thoroughly
2
: to mop or soak up
sopping up gravy with bread
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