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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cropper
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
Intent is where the Manhattan District Attorney’s financial case seemed to come a cropper.
—Norman Eisen, CNN, 30 Mar. 2022
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
Intent is where the Manhattan District Attorney’s financial case seemed to come a cropper.
—Norman Eisen, CNN, 30 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cropper
Noun
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But the lack of pitching and power resulted in a tidal wave of defeats this year – even though top draft picks Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, and Heston Kjerstad have already reached Camden Yards, along with Coby Mayo, Jordan Westburg, Rutschman, and Henderson.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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The government has suffered legal defeats on a range of issues including the firing of probationary federal workers, freezing of billions in foreign aid and a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
Noun
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By all metrics, the High-Speed Rail is a colossal failure.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
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Kennedy's new vision — and view of past 'failures' At times, Kennedy has praised the staff of HHS.—
Selena Simmons-Duffin,
NPR,
13 May 2025
Noun
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They're forced to work together again during the Newton collapse, and Graham's sacrifice triggers something in both of them.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
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The collapse of the Assad regime in December occurred when Ahmed al-Sharaa’s group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a rebel coalition.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Members of Congress must listen to the experts — those of us who are first on the scene of a crash, those of us who conduct the investigations into the crashes and those of us who must tell families that their husband/wife, son/daughter, mother/father is not coming home.—
Art Bodenheimer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 May 2025
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That same weekend, six people died in three separate crashes on north Texas roads, including a collision involving a wrong-way driver that left two dead in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 18, KXAS reported.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cropper. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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