mopes 1 of 2

plural noun

as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits he's got the mopes because his girlfriend is mad at him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

mopes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of mope
1
as in lingers
to move or act slowly we were in a rush, and the Sunday driver in front of us was just moping along

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pouts
to silently go about in a bad mood she's been moping all weekend because her boyfriend hasn't called even once

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mopes
Verb
At the conclusion of the episode, Greg mopes at home, tossing pennies into a jar from afar. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026 Freshly ditched by his friends, Chris mopes, dejected, as his mother drives. — Hannah Bae, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mopes
  1. dumps
  2. lingers
  3. scowls
  4. drags
  5. frowns
  6. delays
  7. sulks
  8. crawls
Plural Noun
  • The production, directed by Simon Godwin from a version by David Eldridge, takes a while to find itself, perhaps because Ibsen dumps exposition into an unbearably clunky first scene or because the play doesn’t introduce its heart, Hedvig, for nearly half an hour.
    — Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Volatile markets have put investment banking in the dumps, but there is a silver lining for Wall Street banks.
    — Charley Grant, WSJ, 13 Jan. 2023
Definition of dumps
Verb
  • There always lingers the question of statehood, which exists alongside the island’s long-standing and active independence movement.
    — Von Diaz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Founded back in 1877 by silver miners, Leadville was a boomtown buzzing with colorful characters and fortune seekers, who left behind a smattering of charming Victorian buildings and a wild frontier spirit that still lingers.
    — Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of lingers
Verb
  • Nobody slouches in a great suit like West, and nobody scowls in a gorgeous coat like Miller.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Suzanne, the sulky, artistic type, scowls and pointedly ignores their noisy energy.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of scowls
Verb
  • China’s crude oil imports have begun to climb again, leaving its economy exposed to high energy prices if the conflict drags on.
    — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2026
  • As the Yemen war drags on, Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt are among the countries entering the fray with defensive support to Saudi Arabia.
    — Aya Batrawy, NPR, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of drags
Verb
  • Don’t Kill Reach with External Links Like any business that makes money from advertising, LinkedIn frowns upon directing people away from LinkedIn to another site.
    — William Arruda, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • Here is our review of a 2025-26 campaign that’s ended with more smiles than frowns.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Definition of frowns
Verb
  • Project delays risk deferring revenue while costs accumulate, potentially triggering liquidity distress.
    — , CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
  • This is partly due to common symptoms between certain types of cancer and pregnancy, but also because physicians (and patients) are reluctant to perform imaging during pregnancy, which delays biopsies and management.
    — Elyce Cardonick, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of delays
Verb
  • Lee sulks through the party, more focused on his deadbeat dad than the guest of honor.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In the corner, a young John Adams sulks, uninterested in the dancing and gossip and instead opting to smoke a pipe and watch.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 June 2026
Definition of sulks
Verb
  • There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawls

Browse Nearby Words

moped
mopes
mopey
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mopes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mopes. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All