Meaning & use
namedrop
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Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformaldisapproving
To mention famous or important people you know in conversation so that others will be impressed.
Grammar: Can be used without an object or with one: he namedrops constantly; she namedropped a director.
Patterns
- namedrop someone
- namedrop at a party
He likes to namedrop actors he met once at an airport.
She namedropped the mayor in the first minute of the interview.
Don't namedrop in your cover letter unless you really know the person.
Word forms
| third person singular | namedrops |
|---|---|
| past tense | namedropped |
| past participle | namedropped |
| -ing form | namedropping |
Common combinations
- constantly namedrop
- He constantly namedrops his celebrity friends.
- namedrop a celebrity
- She namedropped a celebrity chef during dinner.
- shamelessly namedrop
- The guest shamelessly namedropped everyone he knew.
- namedrop at parties
- Some people namedrop at parties to look important.
- namedrop to impress
- He tried to namedrop to impress the interviewer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- show off
- Show off is broader and covers any boasting, while namedrop is specifically about mentioning famous people.
- boast
- Boast means to brag about anything, whereas namedrop is about links with famous or powerful people.
- brag
- Brag is a casual word for bragging about your own achievements, not about who you know.
- swank
- Swank is old-fashioned and refers to showy behavior in general.
Opposites
Word family
- name-dropper noun
- a person who often mentions famous people they know
- name-dropping noun
- the habit of mentioning famous names to impress
- name-drop verb
- hyphenated spelling of the verb
- namedropper noun
- closed spelling of name-dropper
Commonly confused: namedrop or name-check?
namedrop vs name-check
To name-check is to mention someone briefly by name in a speech or article, often as thanks, without trying to impress.
Practice
Which person is name-dropping?
Choose one answer.
Name-dropping means mentioning important people casually to impress. The other options involve no showing off.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “namedrop”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.