drop

plural drops · alternative pronunciation spelling drap

1. alsofigurativelyA small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own rounded shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.

   Put three drops of oil into the mixture.

   1 more example

   A circular horizontal surface of indefinite diameter gave a drop of water weighing 2·10 grains. This is therefore the weight of the maximum drop formed on a flat surface, and it will be seen that it very nearly coincides with the weight of the drop formed upon a surface seven-tenths of an inch diameter. The drop in this case is always formed at the centre of the surface, this being the centre of the greatest molecular attraction amongst the liquid particles.

   1864 March, T[homas] Tate, “XXX. On the Magnitude of a Drop of Liquid Formed under Different Circumstances.”, in David Brewster, Robert Kane, William Francis, editors, The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, volume XXVII (4th Series), number 181, London: Taylor and Francis, […]; sold by Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green; […], →OCLC, pages 178–179

   Synonyms: gt, gtt, gutta

   1. alsofigurativelymedicineA dose of liquid medicine in the form of a drop (sense 1).

      My first treatment consisted of one eye drop in each eye which was supposed to determine the condition of the eye and make it easier to examine them the next day.

      1986, Eugene Tinory, Journey from Ammeah: The Story of a Lebanese Immigrant, Brattleboro, Vt.: Amana Books, →ISBN, page 96

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      The eye is able to hold only about 20 percent of the amount of fluid in a standard eye drop. Therefore, put only one eye drop in your eye at a time. If you have been instructed to use more than one eye drop, wait about 5 minutes between the drops. This will allow more of the drops to be absorbed and will reduce waste.

      2009, Mark A[llan] Goldstein, Myrna Chandler Goldstein, Larry P. Credit, “Glaucoma [Tipes for Using Eye Drops]”, in Your Best Medicine: From Conventional and Complementary Medicine—Expert-endorsed Therapeutic Solutions to Relieve Symptoms and Speed Healing, New York, N.Y.: Rodale Books, →ISBN, part 2 (The Best Medicine for 81 Common Health Concerns), page 234, column 1

      Synonyms: gt, gtt, gutta

   2. alsofigurativelyin pluralmedicineA liquid medicine that is intended to be administered in drops (sense 1).

      ear drops    eye drops

      Synonyms: gt, gtt, gutta

2. figurativelyA very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.

   They didn’t show a drop of remorse

   4 more examples

   My aunt asked for just a drop more tea.

   He was thirsty but there wasn’t a drop of water to be found

   BAZARIN: Zoya Sergeevna, just a drop more tea, if you would. / ZOYA SERGEEVNA: (pouring tea) Do you want it strong?

   1994, Yvonne Howell, “Introduction”, in Apocalyptic Realism: The Science Fiction of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (Russian and East European Studies in Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Culture; 1), New York, N.Y.: Peter Lang, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 1

   Finally she landed the role, and glory be to God, her best friend Melanie landed the role of Anne's best friend. Not one drop of help did she get from her showbiz parents, who were far too preoccupied with the shape of twenty-four table centre-pieces, […]

   2008, Maureen Lipman, “Bar Mitzvah Joy”, in Past-It Notes, London: Aurum Press, published 2013, →ISBN

   Synonyms: dash, smidgen, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel

   1. AustraliaUKfigurativelyA small amount of an alcoholic beverage.

      He usually enjoys a drop after dinner.    She won’t touch a drop while she’s on duty.

      Synonyms: dash, smidgen, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel

   2. UKfigurativelyUsually preceded by the: alcoholic spirits in general.

      It doesn’t matter where you’re from, anyone who enjoys the drop is a friend of mine.

      2 more examples

      She is rather fond of her drops, and is then particularly good-humoured; it is only when she is getting sober that she is querulous and nervous.

      1834, Peregrine Reedpen [pseudonym], “The Survey Continued. Odds and Ends.”, in Our Town; or, Rough Sketches of Character, Manners, &c. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 61

      "He's as gay a little man as iver spoke, only he's a little too fond o' the dhrop, - the more's the pity, - an' it's whispered about among the sarvints that by manes uv it he lost a parish he had down the counthry; an' he was an his way up to Dublin, whin he stopt to spind a few days wid his ould frinds the masther an' misthress."

      1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 515

      Synonyms: dash, smidgen, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel

   3. IrelandfigurativelyinformalA single measure of whisky.

      Synonyms: dash, smidgen, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel

3. That which hangs or resembles a liquid globule, such as a hanging diamond earring or ornament, a glass pendant on a chandelier, etc.
   1. Often preceded by a defining word: a small, round piece of hard candy, such as a lemon drop or piece of licorice; a lozenge.
   2. architectureAn ornament resembling a pendant; a gutta.
4. A thing which drops or hangs down.
   1. The cover mounted on a swivel over a keyhole that rests over the keyhole when not in use to keep out debris, but is swiveled out of the way before inserting the key.
   2. agricultureA fruit which has fallen off a tree, etc., or has been knocked off accidentally, rather than picked.

      Drops are another source of juice apple supply. As the pickers pick apples in orchards oriented toward fresh-market or canning apples, apples fall or are accidentally knocked to the ground; these are drops. The only use for drops is juice production.

      1986 June, “Information Obtained in the Investigation”, in Apple Juice: Report to the President on Investigation No. TA-201-59 under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 (USITC Publication; 1861), Washington, D.C.: United States International Trade Commission, →OCLC, page A-2

      4 more examples

      Drops are fruit that has fallen to the ground naturally or that is dropped or knocked off during harvest. Drops have no value except for pressing for juice. While the value of drops is usually minimal, they must be removed from the orchards; otherwise, they attract mice which later in the season, once the apples are gone, gnaw on the roots of apple trees.

      1993, United States Commission on Agricultural Workers, “The Apple Industry in New York and Pennsylvania”, in Case Studies and Research Reports Prepared for the Commission on Agricultural Workers 1989–1993 to Accompany the Report of the Commission: Appendix I, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 387, column 1

      But in the fall, when apples are abundant and cheap, I like to make my own [applesauce]. I'll often buy a few bags of "drops" just for this purpose. Drops are apples that have fallen from the trees instead of being picked. They're less expensive since they might have a bruise or two, but otherwise they're fresh nd juicy.

      2002, Ken Haedrich, “Very Apple Apple Pies”, in Apple Pie: 100 Delicious and Decidedly Different Recipes for America’s Favorite Pie, Boston, Mass.: The Harvard Common Press, →ISBN, page 97, column 1

      Biologically based IPM goes further by integrating orchard practices for common gain. Thus, in a second-level IPM orchard, sprays are withheld after June to allow beneficial insect populations to rebuild; summer maggot fly incursions are trapped at the border; drops are removed to limit in-orchard pest pupation; and fall sanitation is used to reduce disease inoculum the following spring.

      2005 October, Michael Phillips, “Growing Apples Locally”, in The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist, revised edition, White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 3

      Drops are often considered the same as windfalls, and some people insist that any fruit that has fallen to the ground—no matter for how short a time—should not be used for making cider. […] Drops, on the other hand [unlike windfalls], are fruits that have sat around on the ground for a longer period of time—typically a day or more.

      2009, Ben Watson, Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own, 2nd edition, Woodstock, Vt.: The Countryman Press, →ISBN, page 54, column 1

   3. American footballA dropped pass.

      Yet another drop for the Tiger tight end.

   4. governmentA trapdoor (“hinged platform”) on a gallows; a gallows itself.

      Crook: "I'll find the killers for you, I swear." / Cop: "So why didn't you?" / Crook: "I'm scared of 'em." / Cop: "More than the drop?" / Crook: "Aye. Maybe."

      2015 November 25, Benjamin Ross, Barry Langford, “All the Lost Children” (26:40 from the start), in The Frankenstein Chronicles, season 1, episode 3

      3 more examples

      […] and lo! the gallows is built up; the solemn bell tolls through the dismal gray of the early morning, the drop creaks under the guilty feet, and the penalty of crime is paid.

      1862, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret

      She. Have you ever seen a man hanged? He. Yes. Once. She. What was it for? He. Murder, of course. She. Murder. Is that so great a sin after all? I wonder how he felt before the drop fell.

      1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Hill of Illusion”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 84

      As the prisoners prepared to leave, they had seen Dan and Steve standing together in the breezeway, ‘for all the world like two condemned prisoners on the drop’.

      2003, Ian Jones, Ned Kelly: A Short Life, revised edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Hachette Australia, published 2010, →ISBN

   5. InternetgamesAn item made available for the player to pick up from the remains of a defeated enemy.
   6. engineeringA mechanism for lowering something, such as a machine for lowering heavy weights on to a ship's deck, or a device for temporarily lowering a gas jet, etc.
   7. electricscommunicationsAn overhead electrical line running from a utility pole to a customer's building or other premises.

      Do a drop for the telephone gang, then another drop for the Internet gang, both through the ceiling of the wiring closet.

      Synonyms: drop wire, service drop

   8. abbreviationellipsisengineeringEllipsis of drop hammer or drop press.
   9. entertainmentA curtain which falls in front of a theatrical stage; also, a section of (cloth) scenery lowered on to the stage like a curtain.

      In The Rover, one of these esthetically important elements was the arrangement of the upstage drops. Originally the drop was split into three sections, with obvious and blatant seams between them.

      2007, Michele Fields, Designing The Rover (unpublished M.F.A. dissertation), Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin–Madison, →OCLC

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      La Cage's upstage drops include two of the St. Tropez harbor (one for the day and another for the night), [... an] ocean drop (used in an Act I dream sequence), and an abstract chandelier drop (used in the second act[…]).

      1983, Theatre Crafts, New York, N.Y.: Theatre Crafts Associates, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 61, column 1

5. An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
   1. An act of moving downwards under the force of gravity; a descent, a fall.

      That was a long drop, but fortunately I didn’t break any bones.

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      The slope of the terrain, shaped like a funnel, squeezed the growing swell of churning snow into a steep, twisting gorge. It moved in surges, like a roller coaster on a series of drops and high-banked turns.

      2012, John Branch, “Snow fall: The avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 Feb 2021

      Synonyms: flop, decline

   2. An instance of making a delivery of people, supplies, or things, especially by parachute out of an aircraft (an airdrop), but also by truck, etc.

      The delivery driver has to make three more drops before lunch.

      2 more examples

      The spy made the drop, leaving the plans under the tree as arranged.

      That was how a drug deal went down? […] Karl shook his head and pulled away from the curb, heading for his next drop and feeling distinctly uncomfortable about the mass of cash now keeping the drugs in his bags company.

      2020, Arlana Crane, Mordecai's Ashes

   3. A release (of music, a video game, etc).

      Turned out this was the drop party for popster Effigy's latest release, BeatMeKickMeHoldMe.

      2020 January, Stephen Wright, Processed Cheese, ebook edition, New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN

      1 more example

      2002 saw the drop of a new album whose title riffed on the many magazine cover stories calling Sum 41's music infectious.

      2004, L. S., “Sum 41”, in Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard, editors, The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (A Fireside Book), 4th edition, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 792, column 1

   4. gamblingThe amount of money that a gambler exchanges for chips in a casino.

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      What the first column in the table shows you is how much the casinos won as a percentage of the drop. For example, on the roulette table for every $100 that went into the drop box the casino wonj $22.70 or 22.70%. […] In other words, the drop tells you how many chips were bought at that table, but it doesn't tell you how many bets were made with those chips.

      1996, Steve Bourie, Anthony Curtis [et al.], American Casino Guide, Dania, Fla.: Casino Vacations, published 1997, →ISBN, page 12

   5. informalgovernmentPreceded by the: execution by hanging.

      [A]ll those present shared the all-important political connections required to get a ticket to the execution. News reporters, doctors, and members of the juries had prime spots right by the platform, so that they could see the drop and record the time of death.

      2011, Elizabeth Dale, “Justice is Served”, in The Chicago Trunk Murder: Law and Justice at the Turn of the Century, DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, →ISBN, page 74

   6. hobbiesUsually preceded by the: relegation from one division to a lower one.
   7. abbreviationellipsisAmerican footballEllipsis of drop-back.

      The Tiger quarterback took a one-step drop, expecting his tight end to be open.

   8. abbreviationellipsispinballhobbiesEllipsis of drop target.
   9. abbreviationellipsisball gamesEllipsis of drop kick.
   10. abbreviationellipsisgolfEllipsis of drop shot.
   11. hobbiesA near vertical descent down the face of a breaking wave.

       You take off, make the steep drop, hear the white water rumbling behind you and feel the spray on your back.

       1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer

   12. USdatedbankingAn unsolicited credit card issue.
6. A decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate.

   The drop in demand for oil resulted in a drop in prices.

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   [T]he volume of money was expected to fluctuate with the volume of business activity so that a drop in business activity would bring a drop in the volume of money outstanding. […] If the volume of money is reduced, it tends to produce a slight drop in demand for all sorts of commodities.

   1935 January 17, Gardiner C[olt] Means, “Appendix L. The Necessity for Supplying the Right Amount of Monetary Medium.”, in Industrial Prices and Their Relative Inflexibility […] (74th Congress, 1st Session; document no. 13), Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, paragraphs 5–6, page 37

   Synonyms: breakdown, deterioration, dip, reduction, worsening, cut, decrement, deduction

   1. businessOf men's clothes: the difference between the chest circumference and waist circumference.

      Synonyms: breakdown, deterioration, dip, reduction, worsening, cut, decrement, deduction

   2. businessOf women's clothes: the difference between the bust circumference and hip circumference.

      Synonyms: breakdown, deterioration, dip, reduction, worsening, cut, decrement, deduction

7. The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
   1. The distance below a cliff or other high position through which someone or something could fall; hence, a steep slope.

      On one side of the road was a 50-foot drop.

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      An Ananda truck coming down a steep, winding mountain road completely lost its brakes and crashed through a thin guard rail over an almost sheer 1000 foot drop. It was caught and held by a solitary tree that was growing in the one and only spot where it could prevent a certain fatal plunge. No one was even slightly injured.

      1982, John Ball, “Preface”, in Ananda: Where Yoga Lives, Bowling Green, Oh.: Bowling Green University Popular Press, →ISBN, page 6

   2. The vertical length of a hanging curtain.
   3. engineeringThe distance of the axis of a shaft below the base of a hanger.
   4. governmentThe distance that a person drops when being executed by hanging.
   5. nauticalThe depth of a (square) sail (generally applied to the courses only); the vertical dimension of a sail.

      Her mainyard was 80 feet long, and her mainsail had a drop of 40 feet.

      1969, Richard Armstrong, The Merchantmen, page 97

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      A further point is, that the convenience of the ship herself may interfere with the disposition of sails. A high forecastle will shorten the drop of the foresail, and a poop may seriously interfere with the spanker.

      1869, Richard W. Meade, A Treatise on Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding, page 117

      Because this natural bulging was not adequate, the sails were deliberately made to round outward by cutting the cloths longer than necessary for the drop of the sail.

      2020, John McKay, Sovereign of the Seas, 1637

8. A place where items or supplies may be left for others to collect, whether openly (as with a mail drop), or secretly or illegally (as in crime or espionage); a drop-off point.

   I left the plans at the drop, like you asked.

   1 more example

   A drop is a place where the stolen property can be stored. It may be a warehouse, an apartment, or a garage. At the drop, a group of persons called loaders remove the merchandise from the truck and store it.

   1973, United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Small Business, Criminal Redistribution Systems and Their Economic Impact on Small Business: Hearings, Ninety-third Congress, page 811

9. informalOnly used in get the drop on, have the drop on: an advantage.
10. entertainmentA point in a song, usually electronic music such as dubstep, house, trance, or trap, where there is a very noticeable and pleasing change in bass, tempo, and/or overall tone; a climax, a highlight.

    2 more examples

    But musical ancestry aside, the influence to which [Justin] Bieber is most beholden is the current trends in pop music, which means Believe is loaded up with EDM [electronic dance music] accouterments, seeking a comfortable middle ground where Bieber’s impressively refined pop-R&B croon can rub up on techno blasts and garish dubstep drops (and occasionally grind on some AutoTune, not necessarily because it needs it, but because a certain amount of robo-voice is expected these days).

    2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2020

    Just as dubstep has grown in popularity and combined with many different genres, the drop has become a generalized type of which there are many individually varying instances, including dubstep bass-drop. As LA Times critic Randall Roberts notes, even good-girl tween pop idol Taylor Swift uses a drop in her Max-Martin-Produced track “I Knew You Were Trouble.”

    2015, Robin James, Resilience & Melancholy, Zero Books, →ISBN

11. USslangAn automobile with a drop-top roof, a convertible.
12. ball gamesA place (specified by an ordinal) in the batting order after the openers.

    `Well what about first drop then? Garner will be on by then, I'll smash him all over the park.'

    1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 177

present singular third person drops · participle present dropping · participle past dropped · past dropped · archaic participle past dropt · archaic past dropt · first person past singular dropped · archaic first person past singular dropt · archaic present second person singular droppest · past second person singular dropped · archaic past second person singular droppedst · archaic past second person singular dropt · present singular third person drops · archaic present singular third person droppeth · past singular third person dropped · archaic past singular third person dropt

1. intransitiveOf a liquid: to fall in drops or droplets.First known use 11th c.

   The kindlye dewe drops from the higher tree, / And wets the little plants that lowly dwell.

   1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Nouember. Ægloga Vndecima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC, folio 44, verso

2. alsofigurativelyintransitiveTo fall (straight down) under the influence of gravity, like a drop of liquid.First known use 14th c.

   A single shot was fired and the bird dropped from the sky.

   1. InternetalsofigurativelyintransitivegamesOf an item: To appear for the player to pick up, usually after an enemy has been defeated.

      This item can sometimes drop from chests.

      1 more example

      When you defeat this boss, there's a chance a power-up will drop.

3. intransitiveTo fall or sink quickly or suddenly to the ground.First known use 15th c.

   Drop and give me thirty push-ups, private!

   1 more example

   If your clothes are on fire, stop, drop, and roll.

4. intransitiveTo collapse in exhaustion or injury; also, to fall dead, or to fall in death.

   Nothing, ſays Seneca, is ſo melancholy a circumſtance in human life, or ſo ſoon reconciles us to the thought of our own death, as the reflection and prospect of one friend after another dropping round us!

   1722 September 12, Robert Digby, “[Letters to and from the Hon. Robert Digby. From 1717 to 1724.] Letter X [to Alexander Pope].”, in The Works of Alexander Pope Esq., volume VIII (Being the Second of His Letters), London: […] J. and P. Knapton […], published 1751, →OCLC, page 43

5. intransitiveTo fall into a particular condition or state.
6. intransitiveTo come to an end (by not being kept up); to lapse, to stop.First known use 17th c.

   When he again found privacy consistent, however—and it happened to be long in coming—he took up their conversation very much where it had dropped.

   1897 October 16, Henry James, chapter X, in What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC, page 108

7. intransitiveTo decrease, diminish, or lessen in condition, degree, value, etc.First known use 18th c.

   The stock dropped 1.5% yesterday.

   4 more examples

   We can take our vacation when the price of fuel drops.

   Watch for the temperature to drop sharply, then you’ll know the reaction is complete.

   The equipment shows how much the glacier has moved and the amount it dropped in height over the summer.

   This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.

   1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXXVII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 296

   1. intransitiveOf a song or sound: to lower in key, pitch, tempo, or other quality.

      The song, 180 beats per minute, drops to 150 BPM near the end.

      1 more example

      My synthesizer makes the notes sound funny when they drop below C2.

   2. intransitiveOf a voice: to lower in timbre, often due to puberty.

      Billy’s voice dropped suddenly when he turned 12.

      1 more example

      The 18-year-old [Justin] Bieber can’t quite pull off the “adult” thing just yet: His voice may have dropped a bit since the days of “Baby,” but it still mostly registers as “angelic,” and veers toward a pubescent whine at times.

      2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2020

8. intransitiveTo fall behind or to the rear of a group of people, etc., as a result of not keeping up with those at the front.
9. intransitiveUsually followed by by, in, or into: of a person: to visit someone or somewhere informally or without a prior appointment.

   We’ll drop in on her tomorrow.

   2 more examples

   Do drop by soon and I’ll lend you that book.

   He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. I look upon notoriety with the same indifference as on the buttons on a man's shirt-front, or the crest on his note-paper.

   1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 2

10. colloquialintransitivebroadcastingOf a programme, software, a music album or song, etc.: to enter public distribution.

    The album Hip-Hop Xmas dropped in time for the holidays.

11. intransitivegamblingTo drop out of the betting.

    But more important, if I dropped, Marty would have won the hand automatically.

    1990, Stewart Wolpin, The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle, page 219

12. informalintransitivemedicineOf the testicles: to hang further away from the body and begin producing sperm due to puberty.
13. intransitiveobsoleteTo let drops fall; to discharge itself in drops.

    The heavens […] dropped at the presence of God.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 68:8

14. transitiveTo drip (a liquid) in drops or small amounts.First known use 14th c.

    persons, dropping sweat-drops or blood-drops

    1892, Walt Whitman, “(please specify the poem name)”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], →OCLC

    1 more example

    The recording angel, as he wrote it down, dropped a tear upon the word and blotted it out forever.

    1759–1767, [Laurence Sterne], The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume (please specify |volume=I to IX), London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […]

15. alsoergativefigurativelytransitiveTo let (something) fall; to allow (something) to fall (either by releasing one's hold, or losing one's grip on it).First known use 14th c.

    Don’t drop that plate!    The police ordered the men to drop their weapons.

    1 more example

    But signalman Bridges was never to answer driver Gimbert's desperate question. A deafening, massive blast blew the wagon to shreds, the 44 high-explosive bombs exploding like simultaneous hits from the aircraft they should have been dropped from. The station was instantly reduced to bits of debris, and the line to a huge crater.

    2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 43

    1. InternetalsoergativefigurativelytransitivegamesOf a defeated enemy or container: To leave behind an item that the player can collect.

       The monsters drop health pickups when killed.

       1 more example

       When opened, these chests have a chance to drop powerful items.

16. transitiveTo move to a lower position; to allow to hang downwards; to lower.

    The stare seemed to abash Poirot. He dropped his eyes and began fiddling with the papers in front of him.

    1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 8, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 129

    1. transitiveTo quickly lower or take down (one's trousers), especially in public.
    2. transitivecookingTo cook (food, especially fast food), particularly by lowering into hot oil to deep-fry, or by grilling; to begin cooking an order.

       Drop a basket of fries.

17. transitiveTo reduce; to make smaller.

    Here is a simple example: suppose you are in the process of writing a 15-page proposal and at a certain point you decide that, in order to fit all your material, you want to drop the font size from 12 to 11.

    2011, Alexander Mamishev, Sean Williams, Technical Writing for Teams: The STREAM Tools Handbook, page 64

18. transitiveOf an animal (usually a sheep): to give birth to (young); of a bird: to lay (an egg).

    to drop a lamb

19. transitiveTo mention (something) casually or incidentally, usually in conversation.First known use 17th c.

    name drop

    2 more examples

    The lecturer would drop hints whenever the students struggled.

    By 1996, ‘jungle’ and ‘drum and bass’ were the words to drop.

    2013 [1998], Simon Reynolds, Energy Flash, new and revised edition, Faber & Faber, →ISBN

20. transitiveTo let (a letter, etc.) fall into a postbox; hence, to send (a letter, email, or other message) in an offhand manner.First known use 18th c.

    Drop me a note when you get to the city.

    1 more example

    As she had a free moment, she dropped her a text.

21. transitiveTo make (someone or something) fall to the ground from a blow, gunshot, etc.; to bring down, to shoot down; to kill.First known use 18th c.

    Make any sudden movements and I will drop you!

    5 more examples

    That gang rules the streets, dropping opponents with guns, bombs and other weapons.

    1846, ed. by G. W. Nickisson, “Elephant-Shooting in Ceylon”, in Fraser's Magazine, vol. XXXIII, no. CXCVII page 562: ...if the first shot does not drop him, and he rushes on, the second will be a very hurried and most likely ineffectual one... page 568 ...with a single shot he dropped him like a master of the art.

    As with all other animals, a shot behind the shoulder is the most likely to drop the beast on the spot […]

    1892, Alexander A. A. Kinloch, Large Game Shooting in Thibet, the Himalayas, Northern and Central India, page 126

    He dropped the beast with a bullet in its heart.

    1921, Daniel Henderson, Boone of the Wilderness, page 54

    The piano player's out, the music stopped / His boy had beef, and he got dropped...

    1985, Beastie Boys, “Paul Revere”

22. transitiveTo set down (someone or something) from a vehicle; to stop and deliver or deposit (someone or something); to drop off.

    I’ll be dropping the parcel at your place later.

    1 more example

    Could you drop me at the airport on your way to work tomorrow?

23. transitiveTo lower (a sound, a voice, etc.) in pitch or volume.
    1. transitiveentertainmentTo tune (a guitar string, etc.) to a lower note.
24. transitiveTo cease concerning oneself over (someone or something); to have nothing more to do with (a discussion, subject, etc.).First known use 17th c.

    I’m tired of this subject. Will you just drop it?

    3 more examples

    They suddenly dropt the pursuit.

    1739, Samuel Sharp, A Treatise on the Operations of Surgery

    The connection had been dropped many years.

    1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC

    that astonishing ease with which fine ladies drop you and pick you up again

    1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC

25. transitiveTo dispose or get rid of (something); to lose, to remove.

    I dropped ten pounds and an obnoxious fiancée.

26. transitiveTo cease to include (something), as if on a list; to dismiss, to eject, to expel.

    I’ve been dropped from the football team.

    1 more example

    If Carly Telford’s replacement of Karen Bardsley, because of a hamstring injury, was enforced, the switch to 4-4-1-1 was not. This new-look configuration saw Rachel Daly deployed in front of Lucy Bronze down the right, Toni Duggan and Fran Kirby dropped, Beth Mead introduced on the left and Nikita Parris moved up front.

    2019 July 2, Louise Taylor, The Guardian

27. transitiveTo cancel or cease to participate in (a scheduled course, event, or project).

    I had to drop calculus because it was taking up too much of my time.

    1 more example

    The specialists she had taken her daughter to see attributed her collection of symptoms to the lingering effect of the many concussions she suffered playing sports. She had at least one concussion every year since she was in the fourth grade. Because of her frequent head injuries, her parents made her drop all her sports.

    2022 October 13, Lisa Sanders, M.D., “She Suffered From Headaches and Fatigue. Were Concussions to Blame?”, in The New York Times Magazine

28. slangtransitiveTo lose, spend, or otherwise part with (money).First known use 17th c.

    My friends went to the football game, but I skipped, as I had just dropped a lot of money on a new bike wheel.

    2 more examples

    The question was: Who put the most in the collection box? The wealthy guy, who dropped a “C” note, or the tattered old dame who parted with her last tarnished penny.

    1949, The Atlantian, volume 8, Atlanta: United States Penitentiary, page 41

    I forked over the $19.25. I was in no position to be dropping twenties like gumdrops but I deserved something good from this crappy morning.

    2000, Lisa Reardon, Blameless: A Novel, Random House, page 221

29. slangtransitiveTo pass or use (counterfeit cheques, money, etc.).
30. slangtransitiveTo impart (something).

    I drop knowledge wherever I go.

31. slangtransitiveEspecially in drop acid: to swallow (a drug, particularly LSD).First known use 20th c.
32. colloquialtransitivebroadcastingTo release (a programme, software, a music album or song, etc.) to the public.

    They dropped the album Hip-Hop Xmas in time for the holidays.

    1 more example

    That hacker has been threatening to drop my docs [i.e. publish my personal information].

33. transitivehuman sciencesTo fail to write, or (especially) to pronounce (a syllable, letter, etc.).First known use 19th c.

    Cockneys drop their aitches.

34. transitiveentertainmentTo play (a portion of music) in the manner of a disc jockey.

    I love it when he drops his funky beats.

    1 more example

    That guy can drop the bass like a monster.

35. transitiveentertainmentTo perform (rap music).

    Yo, I drop rhymes like nobody’s business.

36. transitivehobbiesTo (unexpectedly) lose (a competition, game, etc.).
37. transitiveball gamesOf a fielder: to fail to dismiss (a batsman) by accidentally dropping a batted ball that had initially been caught.

    Warne dropped Tendulkar on 99. Tendulkar went on to get a century next ball.

38. transitiveball gamesTo score (a goal) by means of a drop kick.
39. archaictransitiveTo cover (something) with or as if with drops, especially of a different colour; to bedrop, to variegate.

    their waved coats dropped with gold

    1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

40. intransitivecomputingTo enter a more basic interface.

    Next, you drop to a shell.

41. transitivecomputingTo present (the user) with a more basic interface.

    The next step drops the user to a recovery shell.

42. SingaporeUSergativeslanggovernmentTo make someone, or be made to do push-ups or some other form of exercise on the ground as punishment.

    Drop and give me 20, now!

    Synonyms: knock it down

43. slangtransitiverestaurantTo bring a check to a table.