sop 1 of 2

noun

ˈsäp How to pronounce sop (audio)
Definition of sopnext
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

sop

2 of 2

verb

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
Noun
The implication is that the Republican tax reform was intended as a sop to the rich and designed to favor only the president’s supporters. — Editorial, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026 This was seen as a sop to the luxury sector of manufacturers like Ferrari, Aston Martin, Volkswagen’s Bentley and Lamborghini. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
Drying off won’t leave these absorbent towels sopping wet. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 15 Apr. 2026 In the away end, on this putrid, sopping evening in N17, the bigger picture is steamrolled by the small. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sop
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sop
  1. bribe
  2. soak
  3. wet
  4. dip
  5. drown
  6. wash
  7. immerse
  8. saturate
Noun
  • The state attorney general was accused of accepting bribes and abusing his office to help a political donor whom the FBI was investigating.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors accused Smith and at least 26 other named defendants of wagering millions of dollars and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to players in bribes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of bribe
Verb
  • The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory Thursday as rain and king tides are forecast to soak South Florida.
    — Miami Herald Staff Report, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Paltrow has described her own approach as more restrained, with dry-brushing before heat and a 20-minute warm bath soak most evenings.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of soak
Verb
  • The Bluff offers a gorgeous view of a section of the Tanana River and the surrounding boglands, ranging from permafrost forests to wet fens to bogs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Crumble up and wet a small piece, then gently rub it over spots and stains.
    — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of wet
Verb
  • As for gas, it has usually been treated as a waste product to be burned off; because there are so few pipelines to bring it to market, West Texas gas prices have even dipped negative this year.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Uncover dough, dip your hand in water and stretch one side of dough up and over to meet opposite side; turn bowl 90°.
    — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of dip
Verb
  • The guy went right to shore, the wife drowned while paddling around looking for him.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • However, after Mitt drowns himself in the midst of a terminal illness, Jay goes diving in search of his father’s remains.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of drown
Verb
  • Airbnb guests can say goodbye to checkout chores like washing dishes, stripping beds and taking out the trash under a new policy announced this week.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • An employee handled dirty utensils and dishes with gloves on and later handled clean dishes with those same gloves without washing hands in between.
    — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of wash
Verb
  • Beigel, who previously worked with FBI officers while helming the ESPN 30for30 documentary The Counterfeiter, spent approximately three years immersing himself in the Loofe case.
    — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Doherty, reconnecting with Scotland during visits to see his mother, immersed himself in gritty British cinema by filmmakers Shane Meadows and Ken Loach, as well as music by Massive Attack, Siouxsie and the Banshees and PJ Harvey.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of immerse
Verb
  • Colors were suitably accurate and nicely saturated, and the image offered good contrast across the board from dark to bright scenes, along with impressively good shadow detail and a sense of three-dimensionality in dark scenes.
    — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
  • That translated into a vibrant palette of rock ‘n roll, soul, metal, hip-hop, and of course the rich Seattle sound that saturates daily life for Jones.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of saturate

Browse Nearby Words

sooty
sop
sophism
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Sop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sop. Accessed 25 Oct. 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 emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

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

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All