as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
the hair stylist started by lopping off several inches from her long tresses, before beginning to shape what was left
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lop (off)
Verb
-
Today, Sodebo’s current time is almost half that, yet there is more to be shaved off the record, which might even come down to as little as 30 days.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
7 May 2026 -
Back in the day, scandals typically were point-shaving schemes that involved shadowy figures bribing athletes.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The shutdown has had a massive impact on the finances of Iranians whose businesses rely on internet access and has also effectively cut the people off from the outside world.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
-
After being cut from the high school team each of his first three years, Sloane piled on some muscle, increased the velocity on his fastball and drew college interest last summer.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Cooper immediately passed ahead to Croix Bethune, who cut back in the box to avoid Chicago’s Kathrin Hendrich but didn’t see a second defender, Sam Staab, chasing from behind.—
Scott Chasen,
Kansas City Star,
10 May 2026
-
Regular exercise also caused smokers to cut back by an average of two cigarettes per day.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The attack was limited by the fact that the revolver only held 5 bullets and had to be reloaded one bullet at a time, as opposed to assault rifles that often have large detachable magazines that can be clipped in and out rapidly.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
The lab didn't take DNA samples from each fish, which can be done by clipping off a tiny bit of one fin.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Brian Kemp signs 34 bills, trimming his backlog with days left to act on this year’s legislation.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
6 May 2026
-
Ridestore subjects materials to failure testing during both development and production, evaluating bond strength in laminated membranes, water-repellency performance and trim durability before materials move into manufacturing.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Lop (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lop%20%28off%29. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
