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
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
Zelensky came a cropper when trying the same thing — but his stock soared back home at a time when Trump seems to be trying to oust him.
—Stephen Collinson, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
DeSantis' landslide will likely turn out to be the historically most important result from last Tuesday, akin to but with even greater consequences than George W. Bush's victory in Texas in 1998, another midterm year in which the GOP otherwise came a cropper.
—Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2022
But on closer inspection, there are differences: This cropper is shirtless, his backside a bit too pert, and the stalks of asparagus growing from the ground are, in fact, penises.
—Max Norman David Chow Victoria Petro-Conroy, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022
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
Zelensky came a cropper when trying the same thing — but his stock soared back home at a time when Trump seems to be trying to oust him.
—Stephen Collinson, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
DeSantis' landslide will likely turn out to be the historically most important result from last Tuesday, akin to but with even greater consequences than George W. Bush's victory in Texas in 1998, another midterm year in which the GOP otherwise came a cropper.
—Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2022
But on closer inspection, there are differences: This cropper is shirtless, his backside a bit too pert, and the stalks of asparagus growing from the ground are, in fact, penises.
—Max Norman David Chow Victoria Petro-Conroy, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cropper
Noun
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The two permanent managers fired during their debut season over recent years — Benitez in January 2016 and Julen Lopetegui in October 2018 — both suffered big defeats in their first games against Barcelona.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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Last month, Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup to stay in power following his 2022 election defeat.—
NPR,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Global failure to adapt to climate change is taking a toll on people’s lives and is responsible for millions of deaths every year, according to a new report from The Lancet.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Real war introduces deception, saturation attacks and human failures.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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One is if the Democratic turnout collapse that defined 2024 repeats itself—particularly in Passaic County, where anger over the Biden Administration’s handling of Gaza kept many Muslim voters home.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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By the early 2000s, overfishing was rampant, fishing became the most dangerous job in America and our oceans were on the brink of collapse.—
Amanda Leland,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Following his rescue in the February crash, Waterman was brought to the hospital with severe injuries, including a spinal injury and trauma to his head and face, per the initial affidavit.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Back in 2019, the RMV was under fire for allowing dangerous drivers on the roads in the wake of a fatal biker crash.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cropper. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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