loop

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈlüp 

1

a

: a curving or doubling of a line so as to form a closed or partly open curve within itself through which another line can be passed or into which a hook may be hooked

b

: such a fold of cord or ribbon serving as an ornament

2

a

: something shaped like or suggestive of a loop

b

: a circular airplane maneuver executed in the vertical plane

3

: a ring or curved piece used to form a fastening, handle, or catch

4

a

: a piece of film or magnetic tape whose ends are spliced together so as to project or play back the same material continuously

b

: a continuously repeated segment of music, dialogue, or images

a drum loop

5

: a series of instructions (as for a computer) that is repeated until a terminating condition is reached

6

: a select well-informed inner circle that is influential in decision making

out of the policy loop

7

: a closed electric circuit

8

: a sports league

loop

2 of 3

verb

looped; looping; loops

intransitive verb

1

: to make or form a loop

2

: to move in loops or in an arc

3

: to execute a loop in an airplane

transitive verb

1

a

: to make a loop in, on, or about

b

: to fasten with a loop

2

: to cause to move in an arc

3

: to join (two courses of loops) in knitting

4

: to connect (electric conductors) so as to complete a loop

loop

3 of 3

noun (2)

archaic

: loophole sense 2a

Phrases

for a loop

: into a state of amazement, confusion, or distress

the news threw us for a loop

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• band
• circle
• eye
• hoop
• ring
• round

Examples of loop in a Sentence

Verb

The road loops around the pond.

The necklace is long enough to loop twice around my neck.

She looped a string around her finger.

He sat with his arms looped around his knees.

The ball looped over the shortstop's head into left field for a single.

The batter hit a looping single to left field.

The batter looped a single to left field.

The quarterback looped a pass downfield.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bikers and walkers can take advantage of the Carl Henn Millennium Trail, an 11-mile multiuse path that borders College Gardens in its loop around Rockville. —Jillian Atelsek, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023

Using this and other causal loop diagrams, teams were able to identify leverage points for intervention and foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. —Thomas Lim, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

Each wreath comes with a top loop for easy hanging and is suitable for indoor and sheltered outdoor use. —Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2023

Black carbon travels and lands on the ice in Greenland, the Arctic, and the Antarctic, and ties into a series of albedo feedback loops, where the dark ice absorbs more radiation from the sun, melts more of the ice, and exposes more land that has previously been covered by ice. —Matt Simon, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023

Most play tents have a tab with a hook and loop closure to hold them in place when folded down, since the tension of the poles will try to push them back into shape. —Tanya Edwards, Parents, 25 Nov. 2023

Riders on the Rip Ride Rockit go up a 167-foot-tall vertical lift, then several twists, turns, and loops. —Adam Sabes, Fox News, 25 Nov. 2023

For a shorter but similar route, start from Pyramid Mountain trailhead and do the 2.2-mile loop, skipping the Scorpion Trail lead-up. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 18 Nov. 2023

And in San Francisco, there is all sorts of talk about schools possibly being the magic elixir that saves downtown from the urban doom loop. —Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023

Verb

For a scenic ride this Green Friday, try the Bayshore Bikeway, which goes around the San Diego Bay, covering Coronado down to Silver Strand State Beach and looping back north along Interstate 5 to downtown San Diego. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2023

With a super stretchy strap, it can be securely looped around any bar, including luggage and buggy handles. —Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2023

His work often condenses stories of intricate subjects into brief, looping animations. —Charley Locke, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2023

It’s got just a handful of stops — nine in all right now — and goes roughly in the opposite direction from the flagship tour (down the Sunset Strip through West Hollywood to Beverly Hills, then looping back down Melrose past Paramount and back up to Hollywood). —Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023

The Starship will loop around the planet and splash down north of Hawaii about 90 minutes after liftoff. —William Harwood, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023

The first option is to loop hanging wire around a secure part of an artificial tree, such as the part of the faux trunk where branches are secured in place. —Linley Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2023

Many parents don’t trust schools to loop them into critical issues facing their children, and some school leaders point to parents who have shunned or abused children struggling with gender identity. —Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2023

With State Farm committed, and with Jason and Donna Kelce on board (Travis Kelce had already done some commercials for State Farm earlier in the year, so the company had a relationship with him), there was just one last person that needed to be looped in: Taylor Swift. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English loupe, of unknown origin

Noun (2)

Middle English loupe; perhaps akin to Middle Dutch lupen to watch, peer

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1832, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing loop

• closed loop
• Henle's loop
• toe loop
• the loop
• open loop
• throw (someone) for a loop
• Lippes loop
• loop the loop
• ground loop
• loop of Henle
• in the loop
• for a loop
• out of the loop
• knock for a loop

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• closed loop
• Henle's loop
• toe loop
• the loop
• open loop
• throw (someone) for a loop
• Lippes loop
• loop the loop
• ground loop
• loop of Henle
• in the loop
• for a loop
• out of the loop
• knock for a loop

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Kids Definition

loop

1 of 2 noun

ˈlüp 

1

: a fold or doubling of a line through which another line can be passed or into which a hook may be hooked

2

: a loop-shaped ornament, figure, bend, course, or device

a loop in a river

3

: a circular airplane maneuver involving flying upside down

4

: a complete electric circuit

5

: a piece of motion-picture film or magnetic tape whose ends are joined together to project or play back the same things continuously

6

: a series of instructions (as for a computer) that is repeated usually until a requirement for ending is met

loop

2 of 2 verb

1

: to make or form a loop

2

a

: to make a loop in, on, or about

b

: to fasten with a loop

3

: to perform a loop in an airplane

Medical Definition

loop

noun

ˈlüp 

1

: a curving or doubling of a line so as to form a closed or partly open curve within itself through which another line can be passed

2

a

: something (as an anatomical part) shaped like a loop see loop of henle lippes loop

b

: a surgical electrode in the form of a loop

3

: a fingerprint in which some of the papillary ridges make a single backward turn without any twist

4

: a wire usually of platinum bent at one end into a small loop (usually four millimeters in inside diameter) and used in transferring microorganisms