noun

drop

noun

A small round blob of liquid.

"A drop of rain landed on her nose."

"Add just a drop of vanilla extract to the mix."

verb

To let something fall, or to fall oneself.

"He dropped his phone on the pavement and cracked the screen."

"Temperatures dropped sharply overnight."

To release something (a song, product, or piece of information) to the public.

"The band dropped a surprise album at midnight."

"She dropped a hint about her new job during dinner."

To stop doing, discuss, or associate with something; to abandon it.

"They decided to drop the lawsuit after reaching an agreement."

"Just drop it — it's not worth arguing about."

How to Use Drop

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost basically, to fall or let something fall — but it stretches to mean releasing music, quitting something, decreasing in value, and dozens of other everyday uses.

Common mistake

As a noun it means a small blob of liquid; as a verb its meaning shifts heavily depending on context, so check the surrounding sentence.

Common pairings

drop a hint prices dropped drop out drop by

Word Forms

dropped past tense, dropt past tense, drop plural, dropped plural, dropt plural, drops singular, drop singular, dropped singular, dropt singular, droppedst singular, droppest singular, droppeth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

A _____ of rain landed on her nose.

Etymology

From Old English dropian, related to an ancient root meaning "to hang, drip, or fall in drops" — the same source as "drip."

Rhymes for drop

prop crop Lathrop teardrop backdrop raindrop Winthrop eavesdrop

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