Definition of “drop” - English Dictionary

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“drop” in English

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dropverb

uk ​ /drɒp/ us ​ /drɑːp/ -pp-

drop verb (FALL)

B1 [ I or T ] to fall or to allow something to fall:

She dropped her keys.
I'm always dropping things.
Amanda dropped her sunglasses in/into the fountain.
The book dropped from/off the shelf.
Don't drop it!/Don't let it drop!
drop dead

C2 to die suddenly and unexpectedly:

He dropped dead on the squash court at the age of 43.
drop sb a line informal

› to write someone a letter, especially a short informal one:

Just drop me a line when you decide on a date.
drop (sb) a hint informal

› to tell someone something in a way that is not direct:

She dropped a hint that she'd like to come to the party.
drop your aitches/h's UK

› to not pronounce the letter h at the beginning of words in which it should be pronounced

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drop verb (STOP)

B2 [ T ] to stop doing or planning something, especially an activity:

I'm going to drop yoga and do aerobics instead.
Can you drop what you're doing and help me with this report?

› [ T ] to stop including someone in a group or team:

He's been dropped from the team because of injury.

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Idiom(s)

be fit/ready to drop
drop sb/sth like a hot potato
drop a brick/clanger
drop dead!
drop everything
drop it/the subject
drop the ball

Phrasal verb(s)

drop behind
drop by/in
drop off
drop sb/sth off
drop out

dropnoun

uk ​ /drɒp/ us ​ /drɑːp/

drop noun (SMALL AMOUNT)

B1 [ C ] a small round-shaped amount of liquid:

I thought I felt a drop of rain.
There were little drops of paint on the kitchen floor.

› [ S ] a small amount of liquid you can drink:

I'll have a drop more juice, please.
"Would you like some milk?" "Just a drop, please."
drops [ plural ]

› liquid medicine given in very small amounts:

eye/nose/ear drops

› [ C ] mainly UK a small piece of sweet food made of sugar:

fruit/pear drops
chocolate drops

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drop noun (LOWER)

C1 [ C usually singular ] the distance from one thing to something lower:

There's a drop of two metres from the window to the ground.

B2 [ C usually singular ] a reduction in the amount or level of something:

The recent drop in magazine subscriptions is causing some concern.

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Idiom(s)

a drop in the ocean
a drop too much (to drink)
at the drop of a hat

(Definition of “drop” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“drop” in American English

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dropverb

us ​ /drɑp/ -pp-

drop verb (FALL)

› [ I/T ] to fall intentionally or unintentionally, or to let something fall:

[ T ] She dropped her keys on a table beside the door.
[ I ] The book dropped to the floor.
[ I ] fig. I was so exhausted that I was ready to drop (= to fall down).

drop verb (LOWER)

› [ I/T ] to move or change to a lower level, or to make something lower or less:

[ I ] The temperature dropped nearly 50 degrees in 24 hours.
[ T ] We are going to have to drop our prices.

drop verb (STOP)

› [ T ] to stop something you were doing or planning to do:

After winning a pay raise, the union dropped its other demands.
He was dropped from (= taken off) the team because of his grades.

Idiom(s)

drop a hint
drop dead
drop everything
drop the ball

Phrasal verb(s)

drop by (somewhere)
drop in
drop off
drop off something/someone
drop out

dropnoun

us ​ /drɑp/

drop noun (SMALL AMOUNT)

› [ C ] a very small amount of a liquid:

I just felt a drop of rain.

drop noun (FALL)

› [ C ] the act of falling:

the airplane's sudden drop

drop noun (REDUCTION)

› [ U ] a reduction in the amount or level of something:

a drop in prices

› [ U ] A drop is also the distance from one thing to something lower:

It’s a drop of over 150 feet from the top of the Niagara Falls.

Idiom(s)

a drop in the bucket
at the drop of a hat

(Definition of “drop” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“drop” in Business English

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dropverb

uk ​ /drɒp/ us ​ -pp-

› [ I or T ] to become lower in level, value, price, etc.:

In November, prices continued to drop while property sale times lengthened.
drop dramatically/sharply/significantly
drop 10%/10 points/10p, etc. Like-for-like sales dropped 8%.
drop by sth The cost of the technology is still high but has dropped by half in the last 6 months.
drop to sth The total volume of the country's crude exports dropped to 10.3 million barrels.
drop below sth Unemployment may drop below the symbolic 1 million mark before long.

› [ T ] to reduce something such as a price:

Many companies will drop prices in order to get your business.
drop sth by £10/10%, etc. The supermarket is dropping the price of its milk by 1p per pint.
drop sth to sth After the house had been on the market for six months, the asking price was dropped to £750,000.

› [ T ] to stop doing or planning something:

drop a case/lawsuit/charge
drop a plan/idea

› [ T ] to stop using, making, or providing something:

A spokesperson for the airline said that it will drop its flights from Denver to Detroit.
The manufacturer recently dropped its distributors in order to sell direct.

› [ T ] informal to lose a sum of money in a business or game:

One medium-sized investment bank is known to have dropped $10 million on a single over-the-counter derivative trade.

› [ T ] IT to put text, a file, a picture, etc. in a particular place on a computer screen using your mouse:

Just drag and drop the images into your presentation.
drop the ball informal

› to make a mistake, especially by doing something in a careless or stupid way:

The staffer responsible for finding the right location had dropped the ball.

Phrasal verb(s)

drop back
drop off
drop out

dropnoun [ C, usually singular ]

uk ​ /drɒp/ us ​

› a reduction in the level, value, price, etc. of something:

a drop in sth Major supermarket chains experienced a drop in sales.
a dramatic/major/sharp drop He warned that stocks could take a sharp drop today.
a 10%/10 point/10p, etc. drop

(Definition of “drop” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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