/ drɒp; NAmE drɑːp/ verb , noun
■ verb
( -pp- )
FALL
1.
to fall or allow sth to fall by accident :
[ v ]
The climber slipped and dropped to his death.
[ vn ]
Be careful not to drop that plate.
2.
to fall or make sth fall deliberately :
[ v + adv. / prep. ]
He staggered in and dropped into a chair.
[ vn ]
Medical supplies are being dropped into the stricken area.
( BrE )
He dropped his trousers (= undid them and let them fall) .
( NAmE )
He dropped his pants.
3.
[ v ] to fall down or be no longer able to stand because you are extremely tired :
I feel ready to drop .
She expects everyone to work till they drop.
BECOME WEAKER / LESS
4.
to become or make sth weaker, lower or less
SYN fall :
[ v ]
The temperature has dropped considerably.
At last the wind dropped.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
The Dutch team have dropped to fifth place.
The price of shares dropped by 14p.
Shares dropped in price by 14p.
[ vn ]
She dropped her voice dramatically.
You must drop your speed in built-up areas.
EYES
5.
drop your eyes / gaze | your eyes / gaze ~ ( formal ) to look down :
[ v ]
Her eyes dropped to her lap.
[also vn ]
SLOPE DOWNWARDS
6.
[ v ] drop (away) (from sth) to slope steeply downwards :
In front of them the valley dropped sharply away from the road.
DELIVER / SEND
7.
[ vn ] drop sb/sth (off) to stop so that sb can get out of a car, etc.; to deliver sth on the way to somewhere else :
Can you drop me near the bank?
You left your jacket, but I can drop it off on my way to work tomorrow.
8.
[ vnn ] drop sb a line / note to send a short letter to sb :
Drop me a line when you get there.
LEAVE OUT
9.
[ vn ] drop sb/sth (from sth) to leave sb/sth out by accident or deliberately :
She's been dropped from the team because of injury.
He spoke with a cockney accent and dropped his aitches (= did not pronounce the letter 'h' at the start of words) .
FRIENDS
10.
[ vn ] to stop seeing sb socially :
She's dropped most of her old friends.
STOP
11.
[ vn ] to stop doing or discussing sth; to not continue with sth :
I dropped German (= stopped studying it) when I was 14.
Drop everything and come at once!
Look, can we just drop it (= stop talking about it) ?
I think we'd better drop the subject .
Let's drop the formalities—please call me Mike.
The police decided to drop the charges against her.
HINT
12.
[ vn ] drop a hint to say or do sth in order to show sb, in an indirect way, what you are thinking
IN KNITTING
13.
[ vn ] drop a stitch to let a stitch go off the needle
•
IDIOMS
- drop the ball
- drop a brick / clanger
- drop dead
- drop sb in it
- drop names
- drop your bundle
- let sb/sth drop
—more at bottom noun , fly noun , hear , jaw noun , lap noun , penny
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- drop away
- drop back / behind | drop behind sb
- drop by / in / round | drop in on sb | drop into sth
- drop off
- drop out (of sth)
■ noun
OF LIQUID
1.
[ C ] a very small amount of liquid that forms a round shape :
drops of rain
a drop of blood
—see also raindrop , teardrop
2.
[ C , usually sing. ] a small quantity of a liquid :
Could I have a drop more milk in my coffee, please?
I haven't touched a drop (= drunk any alcohol) all evening.
FALL
3.
[ C , usually sing. ] drop (in sth) a fall or reduction in the amount, level or number of sth :
a drop in prices / temperature, etc.
a dramatic / sharp drop in profits
a five per cent drop
DISTANCE
4.
[ sing. ] a distance down from a high point to a lower point :
There was a sheer drop of fifty metres to the rocks below.
a twenty-foot drop
MEDICINE
5.
drops [ pl. ] a liquid medicine that you put one drop at a time into your eyes, ears or nose :
eye drops
DELIVERING
6.
[ C ] the act of delivering sb/sth in a vehicle or by plane; the act of dropping sth :
Aid agencies are organizing food drops to civilians in the war zone.
a parachute drop
SWEET / CANDY
7.
[ C ] a small round sweet / candy of the type mentioned :
fruit drops
cough drops (= sweets / candy to help a cough)
•
IDIOMS
- at the drop of a hat
- a drop in the ocean
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English dropa (noun), droppian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to German Tropfen a drop, tropfen to drip, also to drip and droop .