drop
[verb]
Synonyms:
- fall, decline, descend, diminish, plummet, plunge, sink, tumble
- drip, dribble, fall in drops, trickle
- discontinue, axe (informal), give up, kick (informal), quit, relinquish
[noun]
Synonyms:
- droplet, bead, bubble, drip, globule, pearl, tear
- dash, mouthful, shot (informal), sip, spot, tot, trace, trickle
- decrease, cut, decline, deterioration, downturn, fall-off, lowering, reduction, slump
- fall, descent, plunge

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Antonyms: mount
Contrasted words: rally, rebound, ascend, climb, soar
Related Words: dribble, drip, trickle, slide, slip, backslide, lapse, relapse

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English Thesaurus: exclude, omit, leave out, miss out, drop, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. drop¹ S1 W2 /drɒp $ drɑːp/ verb (past tense and past participle dropped, present participle dropping)
[Language: Old English; Origin: droppian]

1. LET SOMETHING FALL [transitive]
a) to stop holding or carrying something so that it falls:
He dropped his briefcase on a chair.
She screamed and dropped the torch.
b) to make something such as a bomb fall from a plane:
U.S. planes began dropping bombs on the city.
Supplies are being dropped for the refugees.

2. FALL [intransitive] to fall suddenly onto the ground or into something
drop from/off
The apples are beginning to drop from the trees.
Your button has dropped off.

3. MOVE YOUR BODY DOWN [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to lower yourself or part of your body suddenly
drop down/onto/into
He dropped down onto the floor and hid under the table.
She dropped her head back against the cushion.

4. BECOME LESS [intransitive] to fall to a lower level or amount, especially a much lower level or amount
drop suddenly/sharply/dramatically
The number of deaths on the roads has dropped sharply.
Temperatures drop quite dramatically at night, so bring some warm clothing.
drop to
Their share of the market dropped to 50 percent this year.

5. REDUCE [transitive] to reduce the level or amount of something:
You might be able to get them to drop the price.
As soon as she saw the police car she dropped her speed.

6. NOT INCLUDE [transitive] to decide not to include someone or something:
His name was dropped from the list.
drop somebody from a team/side
Taylor was bitterly disappointed to be dropped from the England side.

7. STOP DOING SOMETHING [transitive] to stop doing something, discussing something, or continuing with something:
The proposal was dropped after opposition from civil liberties groups.
drop charges/drop a case
New evidence was presented to the court and the case was dropped.
drop a subject at school/university (=stop studying it)
Students are allowed to drop history in Year 9.
You can’t expect me to drop everything (=completely stop doing whatever I am doing) whenever you’re in town.
Oh, drop the ‘Senator’ (=stop calling me ‘Senator’) – just call me Gordon.
Some time later, the matter was quietly dropped.

8. STOP TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING [intransitive and transitive] to stop talking about something
drop the subject
To her relief, Julius dropped the subject.
drop it (=stop talking about a subject)
Just drop it, will you? I don’t want to talk about it any more.
‘What about the money?’ ‘We’ve agreed to let it drop (=we have agreed not to talk about it any more).’

9. TAKE SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE (also drop off) [transitive] to take someone by car to a place and leave them there, especially on your way to another place:
Just drop me here – I can walk the rest of the way.
drop somebody at something
She dropped Johnny at the school gates at about 8:30.

10. TAKE SOMETHING SOMEWHERE [transitive] to take something to a place and leave it there
drop something round/in
I’ve got your books – I’ll drop them round to your place later.

11. VISIT [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to visit someone you know, usually without arranging a particular time
drop by/round
I just dropped by to see how you were getting on.
The kids drop round and see her from time to time.
drop into
Jan dropped into the office this morning to tell me her news.
drop in (on somebody)
Why don’t you drop in for a drink one evening?

12. SLOPE DOWNWARDS [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a path, land etc drops, it goes down suddenly, forming a steep slope
drop down
The cliff dropped down over a hundred feet to the sea below.
drop away
On the left the ground drops away, giving a view over the rooftops.

13. END A RELATIONSHIP [transitive] informal to suddenly stop having a relationship with someone, especially a romantic relationship:
She dropped him as soon as she found out he had been seeing another woman.

14. until/till you drop until you are too tired to continue doing something:
We’re going to shop till we drop!

15. drop a hint to suggest or ask for something in an indirect way, hoping that the person you are talking to will understand what you mean:
He dropped some big hints about what he wanted for his birthday.

16. drop somebody a line/note informal to write a short letter to someone:
Drop us a line to let us know how you’re getting on.

17. drop dead
a) informal to die suddenly
b) spoken informal an impolite expression which you say to someone when you are extremely angry with them

18. sb’s jaw dropped used to say that someone was very surprised

19. drop your eyes/gaze to stop looking at someone and look down, usually because you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable:
Ben looked at me in horror for a moment and then dropped his gaze.

20. the wind drops the wind stops:
They waited for the wind to drop.

21. drop a bombshell informal to suddenly tell someone a shocking piece of news:
Finally she dropped the bombshell. She was pregnant and I was the father.

22. drop somebody in it informal to say or do something that gets someone else into trouble:
You told her where we went on Friday night! You’ve really dropped me in it now!

23. drop $50/£2,000 etc [transitive] informal to lose money in a business deal, a game etc:
Phil dropped $200 playing poker yesterday.

24. drop a catch to fail to catch a ball hit by a batsman in cricket

25. drop a point to lose a point in a sports competition:
Real Madrid dropped a point at home yesterday.

26. be dropping like flies informal if people are dropping like flies, they are getting ill or dying in large numbers

27. drop a clanger/brick British English to say something embarrassing in a social situation

28. drop a stitch to let the wool fall off the needle when you are knitting

29. drop anchor to lower a boat’s anchor to the bottom of the sea, a lake etc so that the boat does not float away

30. drop acid informal to swallow LSD (=an illegal drug)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. drop² S2 W3 noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: dropa]

1. LIQUID [countable] a very small amount of liquid that falls in a round shape
drop of
As the first drops of rain began to fall, Michael started to run.
A single drop of blood splashed onto the floor.
A drop of sweat ran down her forehead and into her eye. ⇒ rain drop, teardrop

2. SMALL AMOUNT [usually singular] informal
a) a small amount of liquid that you drink, especially alcohol
drop of
She likes to add a drop of brandy to her tea.
George hasn’t touched a drop (=drunk any alcohol) for years.
b) a small amount of something
drop of
I haven’t got a drop of sympathy for him.

3. REDUCTION [singular] a reduction in the amount, level, or number of something, especially a large or sudden one Synonym : fall
drop in
Manufacturers report a big drop in new orders.
a drop in temperature
a sharp/dramatic/marked drop in something
The results showed a sharp drop in profits.

4. DISTANCE TO GROUND [singular] a distance from a higher point down to the ground or to a lower point:
There was a steep drop on one side of the track.
a 20-metre drop
There was an almost sheer (=vertical) drop to the valley below.

5. at the drop of a hat immediately and without pausing to think about what you are going to do:
Some of these corporations threaten to sue at the drop of a hat.

6. DELIVERY [countable] an act of delivering something somewhere, for example by dropping it from a plane Synonym : delivery:
Air drops (=from a plane) of food aid were made to the region yesterday.
My first drop of the day is usually somewhere in north London. ⇒ mail drop

7. lemon/fruit/chocolate etc drop a sweet that tastes of lemon etc

8. a drop in the ocean British English, a drop in the bucket American English a very small amount of something compared to what is needed or wanted:
5,000 new schools are to be built, but this is just a drop in the ocean for such a vast country.

9. eye/ear etc drops a type of medicine that you put in your eye, ear etc, one drop at a time

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

drop
noun
I. reduction
ADJ. big, considerable, dramatic, huge, large, massive, significant, substantial | slight, small | rapid, sharp, sudden | steady | catastrophic
VERB + DROP suffer The restaurant has suffered a big drop in trade.
cause, lead to
PREP. ~ in The glut of coffee led to a sharp drop in prices.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop
II. vertical distance down from a place
ADJ. sheer, steep, vertical The cliff plunged in a sheer drop down to the beach.
long

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop
III. small round mass of liquid
DROP + VERB fall Great drops of rain started to fall.
roll down sth
PREP. ~ of Large drops of sweat rolled down her face.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop
verb
I. allow sth to fall
ADV. accidentally, carelessly | almost, nearly | promptly He saw Emma and promptly dropped his tray of drinks.
PREP. in/into, on/onto I accidentally dropped my glasses into the water.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop
II. jump/move downwards
ADV. heavily | gently, lightly | quickly | limply, uselessly His arms dropped uselessly to his sides.
down, open Her mouth dropped open in disbelief.
VERB + DROP let sth She smiled and let her eyes drop again.
be/feel ready to I feel ready to drop (= because I am so tired).
PREP. into, onto, to He dropped lightly down onto the lawn beneath.
PHRASES drop like a stone (figurative) Her heart dropped like a stone at this news.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop
III. become lower
ADV. considerably, dramatically, drastically, sharply, significantly The price of oil has dropped significantly.
slightly | fast, rapidly | steadily | further
VERB + DROP be likely/unlikely to Sales are likely to drop further.
PREP. below The temperature rarely drops below 30°C.
by The price has dropped by 15 per cent.
from, to The number of children in the class has dropped from 25 to 18.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop
IV. slope downwards
ADV. sharply, steeply | away
PREP. into/to/towards The land dropped steeply away into a small valley.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop
V. no longer include sb in sth
ADV. quietly
PREP. from He has been quietly dropped from the England team.
in favour of

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop
VI. stop doing sth/be stopped
ADV. quietly The subject was quietly dropped.
suddenly He suddenly dropped his habitual banter.
eventually, finally | altogether When nobody volunteered, the idea was finally dropped altogether.
VERB + DROP let sth Can't we just let the matter drop?
agree to, decide to Both countries have agreed to drop border controls.
PREP. in favour of The formal grade of Geologist was dropped in favour of Scientific Officer.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

drop

drop the charges/a case (=stop the legal process of trying to prove someone is guilty)
Both men have been released and the charges have been dropped.
drop everything (=completely stop everything you are doing)
When my mother was sick, I just dropped everything and flew to be with her in Seattle.
drop the idea
The project was going to be too expensive so the idea was dropped.
drop a plan
The company has dropped its plan to build a hotel on the site.
drop a scheme/program etc
Some banks have dropped their student loan scheme.
drop a subject (=stop studying it at school or university)
Students may choose to drop a subject in their second year.
drop the pretence (=stop pretending)
He has finally dropped the pretence that he’s innnocent.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

exclude formal to deliberately not include someone or something, especially in a way that seems wrong or unfair:
The new law protects most workers, but excludes those on part-time contracts.
omit formal to not include something, especially a piece of information, either deliberately or because you forget:
Sara’s name had been omitted from the list of employees.
leave out to not include someone or something, either deliberately or accidentally. Leave out is more common in everyday English than exclude or omit:
Fans were shocked that Giggs had been left out of the team.
You must have left out one of the numbers.
miss out British English to not include someone or something that should be included, often by mistake:
You missed out several important facts.
They’ve missed out the last letter of his name.
drop to decide not to include someone or something – used especially about not including someone in a team:
He was dropped from the team because of injury.
The company decided to drop the word ‘healthy’ from its advertising.
be exempt(ed) from something formal used when saying that a rule, law, agreement etc does not affect someone or something:
People with bad eyesight were exempt from military service.
High technology equipment would be exempted from any trade agreement.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

piece an amount of something that has been cut or separated from the main part:
Could I have another piece of cake?
a piece of broken glass
Emma cut the pie into eight pieces.
bit a piece. Bit is more informal than piece and is often used about smaller pieces:
The notes were written on bits of paper.
He threw a bit of wood onto the fire.
lump a small piece of something solid or firm that does not have a regular shape:
two lumps of sugar
a lump of coal
a lump of clay
scrap a small piece of paper, cloth etc that is no longer needed:
I wrote the phone number on a scrap of paper.
The dog was eating scraps of food off the floor.
strip a long narrow piece of cloth, paper etc:
a strip of cloth
The leather had been cut into strips.
sheet a thin flat piece of something such as paper, glass, or metal:
a blank sheet of paper
a sheet of aluminium
slice a thin flat piece of bread, cake, meat etc cut from a larger piece:
a slice of pizza
Cut the tomatoes into thin slices.
chunk a piece of something solid that does not have a regular shape – used especially about food, rock, or metal:
The fruit was cut into large chunks.
a chunk of bread
hunk a large piece with rough edges, which has been cut or has broken off a bigger piece of food, rock etc:
a big hunk of cheese
hunks of concrete
block a piece of something solid, which has straight sides:
concrete blocks
a block of cheese
a block of ice
slab a thick flat piece of stone, or of cake, meat etc:
The floor had been made from stone slabs.
a slab of beef
cube a piece that has six square sides – used especially about food:
a cube of sugar
ice cubes
wedge a piece that has a thick end and a pointed end, and is shaped like a triangle – used especially about food and metal:
a wedge of cheese
bar a block of soap, chocolate, candy, or metal, which has straight sides:
a chocolate bar
a bar of soap
gold bars worth more than £26 million
rasher British English a slice of bacon:
I usually have two rashers of bacon for breakfast.
fragment a small piece that has broken off something, especially something hard:
The window shattered, covering them with fragments of glass.
They found fragments of bone.
crumb a very small piece of bread, cake etc:
There were just a few crumbs left on the plate.
speck a piece of something such as dirt or dust which is so small you almost cannot see it:
She brushed the specks of dust from the table.
drop a very small amount of a liquid:
There were drops of blood on the floor.
I felt a drop of rain.
slab of rock/stone/meat

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

drop
drɔp
See: at the drop of a hat , bottom drop out , jaw drop or jaw drop a mile

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲