I. cop 1 /kɒp $ kɑːp/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: copper 'police officer' (19-21 centuries) , from ⇨ ↑ cop 2 'to arrest' (19-20 centuries) ]
1 . informal a police officer:
the local cop
a narcotics cop
He pulled out his badge and said he was a cop.
2 . not be much cop British English informal to not be very good:
They say he’s not much cop as a coach.
3 . it’s a fair cop British English spoken used humorously when someone has discovered that you have done something wrong and you want to admit it
• • •
THESAURUS
■ people in the police
▪ police officer ( also officer ) a member of the police. In British English, police officer is used especially in more formal contexts, for example in news reports. In everyday English, British people still usually say policeman or policewoman :
a senior police officer
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He was sentenced to life in prison for killing a police officer.
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He is the officer in charge of the case.
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Officer Fayard (=in the US ‘Officer’ is used in the title of police officers)
▪ policeman a man who is a member of the police:
an off-duty policeman
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He’s a former policeman.
▪ policewoman a woman who is a member of the police:
The girl, accompanied by a policewoman and two social workers, was seen in private by Sheriff George Crozier.
▪ PC/WPC abbreviation used in the job titles of British police offiicers. PC means ‘Police Constable’ and WPC means 'Woman Police Constable':
PC Keith Fletcher
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WPC Susan Larkin
▪ detective a police officer whose job is to discover who is responsible for crimes:
Detectives are investigating the death of a baby boy.
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Detective Inspector John Hartwell
▪ plain-clothes adjective a plain-clothes police officer wears ordinary clothes instead of a uniform:
Two plain-clothes police officers, acting as hotel security men, kept watch on him.
▪ constable a British police officer of the lowest rank:
a police constable
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Constable Robin Cameron
▪ chief constable a senior police officer who is in charge of the police in a particular area in Britain:
the chief constable of North Yorkshire police
▪ cop informal a police officer:
You’d better call the cops.
▪ trooper a US police officer in a state police force:
a New Jersey state trooper
II. cop 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle copped , present participle copping ) [transitive] spoken informal
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: Perhaps from Dutch kapen 'to steal' , from Frisian kapia 'to take away' ]
1 . cop it British English
a) to be punished or spoken to angrily because you have done something wrong:
You’ll cop it when Mum finds out!
b) to be killed
2 . British English to receive something, especially something that you do not want:
I copped all the blame for what happened.
3 . cop hold of something British English used to tell someone to hold something:
Cop hold of the other end, will you?
4 . cop an attitude American English to behave in a way that is not nice, especially by showing that you think you are better or more intelligent than other people
5 . cop a feel American English to touch someone in a sexual way when they do not want you to
6 . cop a plea American English to agree to say you are guilty of a crime in order to receive a less severe punishment:
Dunn copped a plea to avoid going to jail.
7 . cop a buzz American English to feel the effects of taking illegal drugs or drinking alcohol
cop off phrasal verb British English informal
to meet someone and start a sexual relationship with them
cop off with
The hero eventually cops off with the princess.
cop out phrasal verb informal
to not do something that someone thinks you should do:
As far as I’m concerned, she’s copped out and joined the rat race.
⇨ ↑ cop-out