Meaning & use
drop
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To let something fall, or to fall suddenly.
Grammar: Takes an object when you let something fall: drop the plate. No object when it falls by itself: the plate dropped.
Patterns
- drop something
- drop to the floor
She dropped her keys on the pavement.
The apple dropped from the tree.
He dropped to his knees to search under the bed.
verbintransitive
To become lower in level, amount or value.
Grammar: No object: prices dropped; often followed by to or by.
Patterns
- drop to something
- drop by something
Temperatures dropped to below freezing overnight.
Sales dropped by ten percent last month.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
verbtransitive
To stop doing, discussing or including something.
Grammar: Takes an object: drop the subject, drop a class.
Patterns
- drop something
- drop out of something
Let's drop the subject and talk about something else.
She dropped French because the class was too hard.
The coach dropped him from the team after the match.
verbtransitiveinformal
To take someone or something to a place on the way to somewhere else.
Grammar: Usually with off: drop the children off at school.
Patterns
- drop someone off
- drop something at somewhere
Can you drop me at the station on your way?
He dropped the package off at the post office.
I'll drop the kids off before work.
nouncountable
A small, round amount of liquid.
Grammar: Countable: a drop of water, three drops.
Patterns
- a drop of something
A drop of rain landed on my hand.
Add three drops of lemon juice.
Not a drop of milk was left.
nouncountable
A fall in level, amount or quality, or a steep downward slope.
Grammar: Usually singular: a drop in prices, a sheer drop.
Patterns
- a drop in something
- a drop of something
There was a sharp drop in temperature at night.
Stay back from the edge; it's a long drop to the river.
Shops reported a drop in sales after the holidays.
Word forms
| third person singular | drops |
|---|---|
| past tense | dropped |
| past participle | dropped |
| -ing form | dropping |
| plural | drops |
Common combinations
- drop sharply
- Prices dropped sharply after the announcement.
- drop a hint
- He dropped a hint that he wanted a bicycle.
- drop in on someone
- I'll drop in on my grandmother this afternoon.
- drop out of school
- She decided not to drop out of school.
- a drop in price
- A drop in price made the car more attractive.
- drop someone a line
- Drop me a line when you arrive.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fall
- Fall is the usual word when something moves down by itself, while drop often suggests it was released or went down suddenly.
- decline
- Decline is more formal and suggests a gradual decrease, whereas drop is more abrupt.
- abandon
- Abandon is stronger and means to leave behind completely, while drop can mean casually giving up an idea.
- release
- Release means to let go deliberately and carefully, while drop may be accidental.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: drop or drip? drop or drop vs. dip?
drop vs drip
A drip is a drop of liquid falling slowly, while drop is a much wider word.
drop vs drop vs. dip
Dip means to go down briefly or to put something in liquid, and drop is a bigger or longer fall.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'drop' to mean 'give a lift to a place'?
Choose one answer.
Drop someone off means to take them somewhere by car. The other options show falling, lowering, or a small liquid amount.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “drop”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.