cop 1
/kop/ , v.t., copped, copping . Informal.
1. to catch; nab.
2. to steal; filch.
3. to buy (narcotics).
4. cop a plea ,
a. to plead guilty or confess in return for receiving a lighter sentence.
b. to plead guilty to a lesser charge as a means of bargaining one's way out of standing trial for a more serious charge; plea-bargain.
5. cop out ,
a. to avoid one's responsibility, the fulfillment of a promise, etc.; renege; back out (often fol. by on or of ): He never copped out on a friend in need. You agreed to go, and you can't cop out now.
b. cop a plea.
[ 1695-1705; cf. cap (obs.) to arrest, Scots cap to seize caper to take, ult. capere ]
cop 2
/kop/ , n. Informal.
1. a police officer.
2. a person who seeks to regulate a specified behavior, activity, practice, etc.: character cops.
[ 1855-60; clipping of COPPER 2 ]
cop 3
/kop/ , n.
1. a conical mass of thread, yarn, etc., wound on a spindle.
2. Brit. Dial. crest; tip.
[ bef. 1000; ME, OE cop tip, top (in ME also head), prob. c. D kop, G Kopf head; see CUP ]