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
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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
Trump administration says aid is a bridge to a more stable future
The Trump administration insists that the aid package will help farmers, and placed the blame on former President Joe Biden for the struggle that many croppers are fighting now.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 5 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
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Trump administration says aid is a bridge to a more stable future
The Trump administration insists that the aid package will help farmers, and placed the blame on former President Joe Biden for the struggle that many croppers are fighting now.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 5 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
Noun
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All season long, the Wolves have relied on their resilience to bounce back from embarrassing defeats.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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The defeat snapped a five-game winning streak for the pinstripers.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Their bite can lead to rapid respiratory failure and paralysis without prompt medical treatment.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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Doe alleges the school’s failure to act caused long-term emotional and psychological harm that continues today.—
Lexi Nicklaus,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Travellers flying in or out of the hub ogled the spectacle, a display of sudden corporate collapse.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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The airline’s collapse followed years of instability, bankruptcy filings, engine recall issues affecting its fleet and failed merger attempts with Frontier Airlines and JetBlue.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
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The dot-com crash was disastrous for the company and Turner, the largest individual shareholder in the combined company.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
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Those incidents surfaced more than a year after Devin Willock and recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash in 2023.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cropper. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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