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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Tuesday’s 83-79 overtime loss to Washington in the Big Ten tournament, the Trojans’ eighth straight defeat, brought to a close what USC coach Eric Musselman called the toughest stretch of his coaching career.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Porro and Van de Ven appeared to clash with the away fans following January’s defeat by Bournemouth.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The foundation said that besides Lee's 911 call, at least four other 911 calls were made by others that day, including from her husband and people who saw parts of the crime unfolding -- but that communication failures and other issues prevented help from being sent.—
DAVID FISCHER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
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The cause of the failure was still being investigated.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In New York City, the collapse hasn’t been so dire; production has reached roughly 50 percent of its mid-2000s apex, according to one analysis.—
M. Nolan Gray,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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There’s also a whole bunch of stress building up over in Trauma 2 thanks to the ever-present tension between Langdon and Santos, which hits new heights when they’re forced to work on one of the victims of a slide collapse at a waterpark.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran.—
DARLENE SUPERVILLE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
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According to Quigley’s attendance and overtime sheet, he is noted as working five hours the day of the crash with three hours of personal time.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cropper. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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