Meaning & use
dropped off
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“dropped off” is a form of “drop off”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
fell asleep, especially without intending to
Grammar: No object. Often used with 'in front of the TV' or 'during the film'.
Patterns
- dropped off during something
- dropped off in front of something
I dropped off during the meeting because I was so tired.
He dropped off in front of the TV last night.
The baby finally dropped off after her bottle.
verbtransitive
took someone or something to a place and left them there
Grammar: Takes an object: drop someone/something off. The object can go between 'drop' and 'off' or after 'off': dropped her off / dropped off her.
Patterns
- dropped someone off
- dropped something off
- dropped someone off at a place
She dropped the kids off at school this morning.
Can you drop this package off at the post office?
He dropped me off at the airport before work.
verbintransitive
became less in amount, level, or number
Grammar: No object. Often used with words like 'sales', 'prices', 'attendance'.
Patterns
- sales dropped off
- prices dropped off
- attendance dropped off
Sales dropped off sharply after the holidays.
Interest in the class dropped off toward the end of the term.
Traffic usually drops off after 7 p.m.
Word forms
| base form | drop off |
|---|---|
| third person singular | drops off |
| past tense | dropped off |
| past participle | dropped off |
| -ing form | dropping off |
Common combinations
- dropped off to sleep
- The baby dropped off to sleep in her arms.
- dropped someone off at the airport
- My brother dropped me off at the airport at 5 a.m.
- sales dropped off
- Sales dropped off after the summer season ended.
- dropped off the radar
- After college, he dropped off the radar and we lost touch.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fell asleep
- More direct and neutral; 'dropped off' is more informal and often suggests falling asleep unintentionally.
- delivered
- Used for taking things to a place, but 'dropped off' often implies a quick stop, not a formal delivery.
- declined
- More formal for a decrease in amount; 'dropped off' is more casual and often used in business contexts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dropped off or drop out? dropped off or drop by?
dropped off vs drop out
Means to leave school or a race before finishing. 'Drop off' means to fall asleep or deliver something.
dropped off vs drop by
Means to visit someone briefly. 'Drop off' means to leave someone or something somewhere.
Practice
I was so tired that I ______ during the lecture.
Choose one answer.
'Dropped off' means fell asleep. 'Dropped by' means visited briefly; 'dropped out' means left school or a race; 'dropped in' means visited informally — none fit the context of falling asleep.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dropped off”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.