cropper

noun

Definition of croppernext
as in defeat
a falling short of one's goals more than a few people were glad to see the obnoxiously smug skater come a cropper at the national championships

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cropper Two weeks after Alt’s ankle was mangled, depriving Herbert of his blindside protector, the quarterback and the offense came a cropper in a 30-6 blowout at Jacksonville in mid-November. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026 More recently, soybean croppers were angered by the financial support lent to Argentina, which went on to ship large quantities of its own soybeans to China. — Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025 Still, with the disappointing box office of the first Horizon, the lack of Horizon II on the big screen, and third and fourth installments of Horizon looking as likely as a return of the Wild West itself, however this case ends up sorted, Costner may still come a cropper. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025 In January, 1813, at York Castle, fourteen croppers stood trial for rioting and machine breaking, which Parliament had deemed a capital offense in the new Frame-Breaking Act. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cropper
  1. defeat
  2. failure
  3. collapse
  4. crash
Noun
  • Donald played 35 snaps and made one tackle and had a quarterback hit in a defeat by the Denver Broncos but did not practice the following week.
    — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The man accepted defeat and slunk off, slurping, toward the Boulevard du Temple.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of defeat
Noun
  • The installation at the military’s oldest active test base would help shield critical defense operations from wider grid failures.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • After he was released from the hospital, 22-year-old Nicholas James Stedeford-Aaron was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, reckless driving to endanger and failure to move over for emergency vehicles with injury.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • But for meantime, Aldabra Atoll offers a rare story of hope, showing a landscape where nature rebounded from near collapse and giant tortoises reclaimed their habitat.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Another major collapse occurred at the provincial government headquarters in Coclé, where an entire side of the building gave way, exposing the offices inside.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Noun
  • The character was killed in a helicopter crash in Amritsar, Indian that also involved the Indian Prime Minister.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • After co-headlining with Charli xcx at the peak of Brat Summer, Sivan was struck by his post-show emotional crash, when the roar of stadiums gave way to the quiet of being totally on his own.
    — Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of crash

Phrases Containing cropper

Browse Nearby Words

cropped (up)
cropper
croppers
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Cite this Entry

“Cropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cropper. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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