as in bribe
something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision
as a sop to the teachers' union for supporting his reelection campaign, the mayor promised to push for the abolition of the residency requirement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to soak
to wet thoroughly with liquid
sopped the sponge with the detergent and began scrubbing the floor vigorously
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to wet
to make wet
my book fell in the swimming pool and was thoroughly sopped before I could fish it out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to dip
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid
hesitant to sop his bread in gravy, no matter how delicious, at such a formal banquet
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 sop
Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 1 June 2025
Simpson emerged as a spear-carrier for Social Security benefit cuts in 2010, when he was appointed the GOP co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, established by Barack Obama as a sop to conservative deficit hawks.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The perimeter of an outdoor area at Chroma, the Milwaukee Junction co-working space and venue that hosted the food festival, was lined with hundreds of guests in sopping shirts and sunglasses speckled with rainwater.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sop
Noun
The reinstatement was an obvious sop to the gambling industry, an MLB partner, and possibly also to President Donald Trump, who lobbied for Rose’s future election into the Hall of Fame.
—Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 1 June 2025
Simpson emerged as a spear-carrier for Social Security benefit cuts in 2010, when he was appointed the GOP co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, established by Barack Obama as a sop to conservative deficit hawks.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
Sandberg was there wandering around the clubhouse sopping wet from a mixture of champagne, beer and rain water along with other Cub greats, protected by a yellow rain slicker.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The perimeter of an outdoor area at Chroma, the Milwaukee Junction co-working space and venue that hosted the food festival, was lined with hundreds of guests in sopping shirts and sunglasses speckled with rainwater.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sop
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sop
Noun
-
Flores is accused of brokering a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office and allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Flores is accused of brokering a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office and allegedly accepting thousands of dollars in bribes, per the outlet.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Permeable pavers allow rainwater to soak into the ground, reducing flood risk, while offering an upscale look.—
Angelika Pokovba,
Martha Stewart,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Nestle the sandwiches vertically in a pan to maximize crispy golden ridges, and soak overnight in custard.—
Hannah Agran,
Midwest Living,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Place chopped leaves in a large wire bin and wet each layer.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2025
-
But the comedy is absolutely something that wets my beak, I'm drawn to it.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The number of cancellations doubled to 148 Tuesday, while the number of delays dipped somewhat to 2,133, the website reported.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Olaplex sales dipped in the third quarter, but surpassed Wall Street sales forecasts.—
Kathryn Hopkins,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
One villager has drowned in flash floods in the eastern province of Catanduanes, officials confirmed to the Associated Press, while another died in Catbalogan city in eastern Samar province after being pinned by debris from a collapsed home.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Even more poignant, however, is the Rosemary's Baby angle, where the innocence of childhood is drowned in blood and the notion that a young person reared in a loving environment should develop into a compassionate adult is perverted into unthinkable horror.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Employees unable to properly wash their hands and food storage units that can’t keep the hot food hot or the cold food cold got a West Miami-Dade bakery in hot water with state inspectors.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
After assisting a customer, an employee put on gloves and scooped ice from the ice machine without washing their hands.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The couple immersed themselves in his philosophies, maintaining correspondence with the controversial leader.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Freed from the cadence of earnings calls, Molinaroli has immersed himself in the machinery of talent production.—
William Jones,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The official Cuban narrative is often saturated with references to external causes of the crisis—with American sanctions as the preferred target—and refuses to acknowledge the outright failure of its economic model and the domestic drivers of the national crisis.—
Ricardo Torres,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
-
And with the domestic market increasingly saturated with EVs, Chinese companies are looking to sell their cars elsewhere around the globe.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sop. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share