Meaning & use
stooping
Last updated
“stooping” is a form of “stoop”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Bent forward and down at the shoulders or waist.
Grammar: Describes a person or posture: a stooping figure.
Patterns
- a stooping figure
A stooping old man shuffled down the lane.
The stooping gardener picked the weeds.
His stooping posture made him look shorter.
verbintransitive
Bending your body forward and down.
Grammar: -ing form of stoop; no object: stooping to pick up a coin.
Patterns
- stooping to do something
- stooping down
She was stooping to tie her shoe when I arrived.
Stooping under the low beam, he entered the cellar.
The child kept stooping to look at insects.
verbintransitivefigurativedisapproving
Lowering your standards to do something shameful.
Grammar: Usually stoop to something or stoop so low as to do it.
Patterns
- stooping to something
- stooping so low as to do something
I won't consider stooping to lies to win.
Stooping to insults only weakens your argument.
They were accused of stooping to bribery.
Word forms
| base form | stoop |
|---|---|
| third person singular | stoops |
| past tense | stooped |
Common combinations
- stooping figure
- A stooping figure appeared at the door.
- stooping shoulders
- His stooping shoulders showed his age.
- stooping to conquer
- The play is called She Stoops to Conquer, about disguise.
- stooping low
- Stooping low to the ground, he searched for his keys.
- stooping to lies
- She refused to consider stooping to lies.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bending
- Bending is a neutral movement of the body, while stooping often implies bending the upper body forward.
- hunched
- Hunched means rounded in the back, often from cold or worry.
- crouching
- Crouching means lowering by bending the knees, often to hide or spring.
- lowering
- Lowering yourself figuratively means similar to stooping but without the moral shame.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: stooping or stopping?
stooping vs stopping
Stopping means ceasing movement, while stooping means bending down.
Practice
Even in a heated argument, she refused to consider ____ to personal insults.
Choose one answer.
Stoop to means lower yourself to do something shameful. Stopping is a lookalike but changes the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stooping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.