I. crop 1 W3 /krɒp $ krɑːp/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: cropp 'bird's crop, top part of a plant' ]
1 . a plant such as wheat, rice, or fruit that is grown by farmers and used as food ⇨ GM :
The main crops were oats and barley.
crop production
crops grown for market
⇨ ↑ cash crop
2 . the amount of wheat, rice, fruit etc that is produced in a season SYN harvest
crop of
this season’s crop of quality pears
Fruit growers are gathering in a bumper crop (=a very large amount of something produced in a season) .
increased crop yields
3 . crop of somebody/something a group of people who arrive or things that happen at the same time
crop of somebody/something of
South Korea’s present crop of elected politicians
4 . a short whip used in horse-riding
5 . the part under a bird’s throat where food is stored
6 . a very short ↑ hairstyle
7 . crop of dark hair/blonde curls etc hair that is short, thick, and attractive:
his reddish crop of shining hair
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ grow a crop
Many crops are grown from seed every year.
▪ plant a crop
Farmers burn their fields in preparation for planting crops.
▪ harvest/bring in a crop
Brazil's coffee crop begins to be harvested in May.
▪ produce a crop
The land is so poor that much of the seed will not produce a crop.
▪ rotate the crops (=regularly change the crops grown on a piece of land)
Crops are sometimes rotated with grass.
▪ something destroys/damages a crop
When disease destroyed the crop, famine followed.
▪ a crop fails (=does not grow or produce food properly)
The drought meant the crops failed and food was scarce.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + crop
▪ the wheat/cereal/rice etc crop
In January farmers prepare the ground for the potato crop.
▪ a food crop
The demand for ethanol has reduced the amount of corn grown as a food crop.
▪ a cash crop (=grown to be sold rather than used)
Cotton is grown as a cash crop in the savannah.
▪ an arable/agricultural crop (=grown on farm land)
A lot of woodland has been cleared for arable crops.
▪ genetically modified crops ( also GM crops ) (=ones that have had their genetic structure changed)
He argues that genetically modified crops are needed to avoid future famines.
▪ a staple crop (=an important one that forms a big part of people's diet)
staple crops such as rice and wheat
▪ an export crop (=grown to be exported)
Cocoa is the country's main export crop.
■ crop + NOUN
▪ crop production
The area is mostly unsuitable for crop production.
▪ crop failure (=failure to grow or produce food)
Ethiopia's 1989 crop failure was disastrous.
▪ crop damage
The storms caused crop damage across the country.
▪ crop rotation (=the practice of rotating crops)
Crop rotation helps build up soil fertility.
II. crop 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle cropped , present participle cropping )
1 . [transitive] to cut someone’s hair short:
Stella’s had her hair closely cropped.
2 . [transitive] to cut a part off a photograph or picture so that it is a particular size or shape
3 . [transitive] if an animal crops grass or other plants, it makes them short by eating them
4 . [intransitive] British English if a plant crops, it produces fruit, grain etc:
My strawberries crop in June or July.
crop up phrasal verb
1 . if a problem crops up, it happens or appears suddenly and in an unexpected way SYN arise
2 . if something such as a name or a subject crops up, it appears in something you read or hear SYN come up :
Your name kept cropping up in conversation.