as in bowing
bending downward or forward
faded, drooping banners lining the walls of the old gym
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in flagging
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in hanging
to be limp from lack of water or vigor
the flowers drooped on their stalks in the blazing sun
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sagging
to lose bodily strength or vigor
as the afternoon wore on, we started to droop
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drooping
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 6 May 2026
Engineers hired by the association reported concrete defects, a drooping balcony, loose fire sprinkler joints causing leaks, and corrosion and cracks in the seawall.
—Larry Seward, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Right whales, with their characteristic drooping dorsal fin, are most often seen along the Eastern Seaboard, but over the past few years two of them were spotted in the Gulf, one with a calf.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
If the plant’s leaves start turning yellow, drooping, or curling, that is an indication of overwatering.
—Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
Curling, drooping, or yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while drooping and wilting leaves indicate underwatering.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Low indoor humidity and sudden temperature changes can cause drooping stems.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026
The ship was said to have experienced weakening metal parts that eventually fully fractured from the waves; and intense pressure at the ship's midsection that caused drooping of the bow and stern all combined with severe weather, according to the Presque Isle County Historical Museum.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
According to gardening expert Lucie Bradley, damping off is the main reason seedlings might stop growing before drooping and dying.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 23 May 2026
His signature style presents women with sad, slightly drooping eyes that sometimes shed a tear.
—Sarah Moreno
may 22, Miami Herald, 22 May 2026
Too much sun can also cause drooping when there’s not enough water.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 21 May 2026
Improper watering causes slow growth, misshapen fruits, yellow or drooping foliage, and other issues.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 May 2026
Start with tall bluebonnet stems on the left, fill the middle with medium-height ornamental onions, and finish the arrangement with softly drooping sweet peas on the right.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
Many of the symptoms of overwatering — wilting, yellowing leaves, drooping stems — look almost identical to those of underwatering, which is why so many people respond by reaching for the watering can again.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The disease in deer is often characterized by progressive weight loss, stumbling, lack of coordination, listlessness, drooping ears, excessive drooling or thirst and a lack of fear of humans.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
If the arteries are leading to the brain, symptoms may involve sudden numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, trouble speaking, slurred speech, sudden or temporary vision loss in one eye or facial drooping.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 6 May 2026
Engineers hired by the association reported concrete defects, a drooping balcony, loose fire sprinkler joints causing leaks, and corrosion and cracks in the seawall.
—Larry Seward, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Right whales, with their characteristic drooping dorsal fin, are most often seen along the Eastern Seaboard, but over the past few years two of them were spotted in the Gulf, one with a calf.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
If the plant’s leaves start turning yellow, drooping, or curling, that is an indication of overwatering.
—Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
Curling, drooping, or yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while drooping and wilting leaves indicate underwatering.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Low indoor humidity and sudden temperature changes can cause drooping stems.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026
The ship was said to have experienced weakening metal parts that eventually fully fractured from the waves; and intense pressure at the ship's midsection that caused drooping of the bow and stern all combined with severe weather, according to the Presque Isle County Historical Museum.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
As of this writing, Becerra holds his advantage, or what remains of it, and looks on track to take the drooping cake.
—Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
According to gardening expert Lucie Bradley, damping off is the main reason seedlings might stop growing before drooping and dying.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 23 May 2026
His signature style presents women with sad, slightly drooping eyes that sometimes shed a tear.
—Sarah Moreno
may 22, Miami Herald, 22 May 2026
Too much sun can also cause drooping when there’s not enough water.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 21 May 2026
Improper watering causes slow growth, misshapen fruits, yellow or drooping foliage, and other issues.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 May 2026
Start with tall bluebonnet stems on the left, fill the middle with medium-height ornamental onions, and finish the arrangement with softly drooping sweet peas on the right.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
Many of the symptoms of overwatering — wilting, yellowing leaves, drooping stems — look almost identical to those of underwatering, which is why so many people respond by reaching for the watering can again.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The disease in deer is often characterized by progressive weight loss, stumbling, lack of coordination, listlessness, drooping ears, excessive drooling or thirst and a lack of fear of humans.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drooping
Noun
-
And how some close to him bristled when asked questions about his authoritarian streak and his departure from organizing, distractions that left the union’s power flagging.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
But among the favorite cyclical sectors entering the year, only industrials have truly continued to lead, with financials and consumer discretionary flagging.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There really was broccoli hanging from the dugout fence for Mississippi State during their first-ever appearance at the Women’s College World Series on Friday.—
Molly Keshin,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Global spending on agentic AI is growing exponentially, and the low-hanging use cases are largely harvested by now.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
And a photo attached to a city inspection conducted just days before the collapse for a pending litter case showed the exterior of the building apparently in poor condition with the roof visibly sagging.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
-
Morale among the men was sagging, as well.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Noun
-
What the poll cannot quite capture is the exhaustion driving those beliefs.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
-
What happened when exhaustion appeared?—
Irma Davarashvili,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
At Eau Bar during early sunset, spring for a poolside lounger to catch a soul-stirring ceremony of bodu beru drummers walking the edge of a circular infinity pool, torch-lighting a fire ring backed by a fading horizon.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
The components might be familiar—guitars that sound like they’re played through a busted Zenith TV at full volume, heavy acoustic strumming à la ’90s folk-grunge group Days of the New, Slocum’s fading read-out of a voice—but they’re all pulled into slightly unusual shapes.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Noun
-
With the Bulls’ season limping toward a finish and the transfer portal opening tomorrow, Chapel Hill clearly didn’t want to wait.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The chopper flew across New York harbor and landed at a Manhattan heliport, where Maduro, limping, was loaded into an armored vehicle.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drooping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drooping. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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