drop

Etymology 1

From Late Middle English droppe, Middle English drope (“small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”) [and other forms], from Old English dropa (“a drop”), from Proto-West Germanic *dropō (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Germanic *drupô (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewb- (“to crumble, grind”).

noun

1. (also figurative) A small quantity of liquid">liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid">liquid.
   1. (pharmacology) A dose of liquid">liquid medicine in the form of a drop (sense 1).
      My first treatment consisted of one eye drop in each eye which was supposed to determine the condition of the eye and make it easier to examine them the next day. 1986, Eugene Tinory, Journey from Ammeah: The Story of a Lebanese Immigrant, Brattleboro, Vt.: Amana Books, page 96
      The eye is able to hold only about 20 percent of the amount of fluid in a standard eye drop. Therefore, put only one eye drop in your eye at a time. If you have been instructed to use more than one eye drop, wait about 5 minutes between the drops. This will allow more of the drops to be absorbed and will reduce waste. 2009, Mark A[llan] Goldstein, Myrna Chandler Goldstein, Larry P. Credit, “Glaucoma [Tipes for Using Eye Drops]”, in Your Best Medicine: From Conventional and Complementary Medicine—Expert-endorsed Therapeutic Solutions to Relieve Symptoms and Speed Healing, New York, N.Y.: Rodale Books, part 2 (The Best Medicine for 81 Common Health Concerns), page 234, column 1
   2. (pharmacology, chiefly in the plural) A liquid medicine that is intended to be administered in drops (sense 1).
      ear drops    eye drops
2. (figurative) A very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.
   1. (chiefly Australia, Britain) A small amount of an alcoholic beverage.
      He usually enjoys a drop after dinner.    She won’t touch a drop while she’s on duty.
   2. (chiefly Britain) Usually preceded by the: alcoholic spirits in general.
      It doesn’t matter where you’re from, anyone who enjoys the drop is a friend of mine.
      She is rather fond of her drops, and is then particularly good-humoured; it is only when she is getting sober that she is querulous and nervous. 1834, Peregrine Reedpen [pseudonym], “The Survey Continued. Odds and Ends.”, in Our Town; or, Rough Sketches of Character, Manners, &c.[…], volume I, London: Richard Bentley,[…], →OCLC, page 61
   3. (Ireland, informal) A single measure of whisky.
3. That which hangs or resembles a liquid globule, such as a hanging diamond earring or ornament, a glass pendant on a chandelier, etc.
   1. Often preceded by a defining word: a small, round piece of hard candy, such as a lemon drop; a lozenge.
   2. (architecture) An ornament resembling a pendant; a gutta.
4. A thing which drops or hangs down.
   1. The cover mounted on a swivel over a keyhole that rests over the keyhole when not in use to keep out debris, but is swiveled out of the way before inserting the key.
   2. (agriculture) A fruit which has fallen off a tree, etc., or has been knocked off accidentally, rather than picked.
      Drops are another source of juice apple supply. As the pickers pick apples in orchards oriented toward fresh-market or canning apples, apples fall or are accidentally knocked to the ground; these are drops. The only use for drops is juice production. 1986 June, “Information Obtained in the Investigation”, in Apple Juice: Report to the President on Investigation No. TA-201-59 under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 (USITC Publication; 1861), Washington, D.C.: United States International Trade Commission, →OCLC, page A-2
      Drops are fruit that has fallen to the ground naturally or that is dropped or knocked off during harvest. Drops have no value except for pressing for juice. While the value of drops is usually minimal, they must be removed from the orchards; otherwise, they attract mice which later in the season, once the apples are gone, gnaw on the roots of apple trees. 1993, United States Commission on Agricultural Workers, “The Apple Industry in New York and Pennsylvania”, in Case Studies and Research Reports Prepared for the Commission on Agricultural Workers 1989–1993 to Accompany the Report of the Commission: Appendix I, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 387, column 1
      But in the fall, when apples are abundant and cheap, I like to make my own [applesauce]. I'll often buy a few bags of "drops" just for this purpose. Drops are apples that have fallen from the trees instead of being picked. They're less expensive since they might have a bruise or two, but otherwise they're fresh nd juicy. 2002, Ken Haedrich, “Very Apple Apple Pies”, in Apple Pie: 100 Delicious and Decidedly Different Recipes for America’s Favorite Pie, Boston, Mass.: The Harvard Common Press, page 97, column 1
      Biologically based IPM goes further by integrating orchard practices for common gain. Thus, in a second-level IPM orchard, sprays are withheld after June to allow beneficial insect populations to rebuild; summer maggot fly incursions are trapped at the border; drops are removed to limit in-orchard pest pupation; and fall sanitation is used to reduce disease inoculum the following spring. 2005 October, Michael Phillips, “Growing Apples Locally”, in The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist, revised edition, White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, page 3
      Drops are often considered the same as windfalls, and some people insist that any fruit that has fallen to the ground—no matter for how short a time—should not be used for making cider. […] Drops, on the other hand [unlike windfalls], are fruits that have sat around on the ground for a longer period of time—typically a day or more. 2009, Ben Watson, Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own, 2nd edition, Woodstock, Vt.: The Countryman Press, page 54, column 1
   3. (American football) A dropped pass.
      Yet another drop for the Tiger tight end.
   4. (law enforcement) A trapdoor (“hinged platform”) on a gallows; a gallows itself.
      As the prisoners prepared to leave, they had seen Dan and Steve standing together in the breezeway, ‘for all the world like two condemned prisoners on the drop’. 2003, Ian Jones, Ned Kelly: A Short Life, revised edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Hachette Australia, published 2010
      Crook: "I'll find the killers for you, I swear." / Cop: "So why didn't you?" / Crook: "I'm scared of 'em." / Cop: "More than the drop?" / Crook: "Aye. Maybe." 25 November 2015, Benjamin Ross, Barry Langford, “All the Lost Children” (26:40 from the start), in The Frankenstein Chronicles, season 1, episode 3
   5. (online gaming, video games) An item made available for the player to pick up from the remains of a defeated enemy.
   6. (technology)
      1. A mechanism for lowering something, such as a machine for lowering heavy weights on to a ship's deck, or a device for temporarily lowering a gas jet, etc.
      2. Short for drop hammer and drop press.
   7. (theater) A curtain which falls in front of a theatrical stage; also, a section of (cloth) scenery lowered on to the stage like a curtain.
      La Cage's upstage drops include two of the St. Tropez harbor (one for the day and another for the night), [... an] ocean drop (used in an Act I dream sequence), and an abstract chandelier drop (used in the second act[…]). 1983, Theatre Crafts, New York, N.Y.: Theatre Crafts Associates, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 61, column 1
      In The Rover, one of these esthetically important elements was the arrangement of the upstage drops. Originally the drop was split into three sections, with obvious and blatant seams between them. 2007, Michele Fields, Designing The Rover (unpublished M.F.A. dissertation), Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin–Madison, →OCLC
5. An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
   1. An act of moving downwards under the force of gravity; a descent, a fall.
      That was a long drop, but fortunately I didn’t break any bones.
      The slope of the terrain, shaped like a funnel, squeezed the growing swell of churning snow into a steep, twisting gorge. It moved in surges, like a roller coaster on a series of drops and high-banked turns. 2012, John Branch, “Snow fall: The avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-02-21
   2. An instance of making a delivery of people, supplies, or things, especially by parachute out of an aircraft (an airdrop), but also by truck, etc.
      The delivery driver has to make three more drops before lunch.
      The spy made the drop, leaving the plans under the tree as arranged.
      That was how a drug deal went down? […] Karl shook his head and pulled away from the curb, heading for his next drop and feeling distinctly uncomfortable about the mass of cash now keeping the drugs in his bags company. 2020, Arlana Crane, Mordecai's Ashes
   3. A release (of music, a video game, etc).
      2002 saw the drop of a new album whose title riffed on the many magazine cover stories calling Sum 41's music infectious. 2004, L. S., “Sum 41”, in Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard, editors, The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (A Fireside Book), 4th edition, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, page 792, column 1
      Turned out this was the drop party for popster Effigy's latest release, BeatMeKickMeHoldMe. 2020 January, Stephen Wright, Processed Cheese, ebook edition, New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company
   4. (gambling) The amount of money that a gambler exchanges for chips in a casino.
      What the first column in the table shows you is how much the casinos won as a percentage of the drop. For example, on the roulette table for every $100 that went into the drop box the casino wonj $22.70 or 22.70%. […] In other words, the drop tells you how many chips were bought at that table, but it doesn't tell you how many bets were made with those chips. 1996, Steve Bourie, Anthony Curtis [et al.], American Casino Guide, Dania, Fla.: Casino Vacations, published 1997, page 12
   5. (law enforcement, informal) Preceded by the: execution by hanging.
      [A]ll those present shared the all-important political connections required to get a ticket to the execution. News reporters, doctors, and members of the juries had prime spots right by the platform, so that they could see the drop and record the time of death. 2011, Elizabeth Dale, “Justice is Served”, in The Chicago Trunk Murder: Law and Justice at the Turn of the Century, DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, page 74
   6. (sports)
      1. Usually preceded by the: relegation from one division to a lower one.
      2. (American football) Short for drop-back.
         The Tiger quarterback took a one-step drop, expecting his tight end to be open.
      3. (pinball) Short for drop target.
      4. (rugby) Short for drop kick.
      5. (golf) Short for drop shot.
   7. (US, banking, dated) An unsolicited credit card issue.
6. A decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate.
   The drop in demand for oil resulted in a drop in prices.
   [T]he volume of money was expected to fluctuate with the volume of business activity so that a drop in business activity would bring a drop in the volume of money outstanding. […] If the volume of money is reduced, it tends to produce a slight drop in demand for all sorts of commodities. 17 January 1935, Gardiner C[olt] Means, “Appendix L. The Necessity for Supplying the Right Amount of Monetary Medium.”, in Industrial Prices and Their Relative Inflexibility[…] (74th Congress, 1st Session; document no. 13), Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, paragraphs 5–6, page 37
   1. (sewing)
      1. Of men's clothes: the difference between the chest circumference and waist circumference.
      2. Of women's clothes: the difference between the bust circumference and hip circumference.
7. The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
   1. The distance below a cliff or other high position through which someone or something could fall; hence, a steep slope.
      On one side of the road was a 50-foot drop.
      An Ananda truck coming down a steep, winding mountain road completely lost its brakes and crashed through a thin guard rail over an almost sheer 1000 foot drop. It was caught and held by a solitary tree that was growing in the one and only spot where it could prevent a certain fatal plunge. No one was even slightly injured. 1982, John Ball, “Preface”, in Ananda: Where Yoga Lives, Bowling Green, Oh.: Bowling Green University Popular Press, page 6
   2. The vertical length of a hanging curtain.
   3. (engineering) The distance of the axis of a shaft below the base of a hanger.
   4. (law enforcement) The distance that a person drops when being executed by hanging.
   5. (nautical) The depth of a (square) sail (generally applied to the courses only); the vertical dimension of a sail.
      A further point is, that the convenience of the ship herself may interfere with the disposition of sails. A high forecastle will shorten the drop of the foresail, and a poop may seriously interfere with the spanker. 1869, Richard W. Meade, A Treatise on Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding, page 117
      Her mainyard was 80 feet long, and her mainsail had a drop of 40 feet. 1969, Richard Armstrong, The Merchantmen, page 97
      Because this natural bulging was not adequate, the sails were deliberately made to round outward by cutting the cloths longer than necessary for the drop of the sail. 2020, John McKay, Sovereign of the Seas, 1637
8. A place where items or supplies may be left for others to collect, whether openly (as with a mail drop), or secretly or illegally (as in crime or espionage); a drop-off point.
   I left the plans at the drop, like you asked.
   A drop is a place where the stolen property can be stored. It may be a warehouse, an apartment, or a garage. At the drop, a group of persons called loaders remove the merchandise from the truck and store it. 1973, United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Small Business, Criminal Redistribution Systems and Their Economic Impact on Small Business: Hearings, Ninety-third Congress, page 811
9. (informal) Only used in get the drop on, have the drop on An advantage.
10. (music) A point in a song, usually electronic music such as dubstep, house, trace, or trap, where there is a very noticeable and pleasing change in bass, tempo, and/or overall tone; a climax, a highlight.
    But musical ancestry aside, the influence to which [Justin] Bieber is most beholden is the current trends in pop music, which means Believe is loaded up with EDM [electronic dance music] accouterments, seeking a comfortable middle ground where Bieber’s impressively refined pop-R&B croon can rub up on techno blasts and garish dubstep drops (and occasionally grind on some AutoTune, not necessarily because it needs it, but because a certain amount of robo-voice is expected these days). 26 June 2012, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2020-08-06
    Just as dubstep has grown in popularity and combined with many different genres, the drop has become a generalized type of which there are many individually varying instances, including dubstep bass-drop. As LA Times critic Randall Roberts notes, even good-girl tween pop idol Taylor Swift uses a drop in her Max-Martin-Produced track “I Knew You Were Trouble.” 2015, Robin James, Resilience & Melancholy, Zero Books

Etymology 2

From Middle English droppen, dropen (“to fall in drops, drip or trickle down; to scatter, sprinkle; to be covered with a liquid; to give off moisture; of an object: to drop, fall; of a living being: to fall to the ground”) [and other forms], from Old English dropian, droppian (“to drop”), from dropa (“a drop”) (see further at etymology 1) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns).

verb

1. (intransitive) Of a liquid: to fall in drops or droplets.
2. (intransitive, also figurative) To fall (straight down) under the influence of gravity, like a drop of liquid.
   A single shot was fired and the bird dropped from the sky.
3. (intransitive) To fall or sink quickly or suddenly to the ground.
   Drop and give me thirty push-ups, private!
   If your clothes are on fire, stop, drop and roll.
4. (intransitive) To collapse in exhaustion or injury; also, to fall dead, or to fall in death.
   Nothing, ſays Seneca, is ſo melancholy a circumſtance in human life, or ſo ſoon reconciles us to the thought of our own death, as the reflection and prospect of one friend after another dropping round us! 12 September 1722, Robert Digby, “[Letters to and from the Hon. Robert Digby. From 1717 to 1724.] Letter X [to Alexander Pope].”, in The Works of Alexander Pope Esq., volume VIII (Being the Second of His Letters), London: […] J. and P. Knapton[…], published 1751, →OCLC, page 43
5. (intransitive) To fall into a particular condition or state.
6. (intransitive) To come to an end (by not being kept up); to lapse, to stop.
7. (intransitive) To decrease, diminish, or lessen in condition, degree, value, etc.
   1. (intransitive) Of a song or sound: to lower in key, pitch, tempo, or other quality.
      My synthesizer makes the notes sound funny when they drop below C2.
      The song, 180 beats per minute, drops to 150 BPM near the end.
   2. (intransitive) Of a voice: to lower in timbre, often due to puberty.
      Billy’s voice dropped suddenly when he turned 12.
      The 18-year-old [Justin] Bieber can’t quite pull off the “adult” thing just yet: His voice may have dropped a bit since the days of “Baby,” but it still mostly registers as “angelic,” and veers toward a pubescent whine at times. 26 June 2012, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2020-08-06
8. (intransitive) To fall behind or to the rear of a group of people, etc., as a result of not keeping up with those at the front.
9. (intransitive) Usually followed by by, in, or into: of a person: to visit someone or somewhere informally or without a prior appointment.
   Do drop by soon and I’ll lend you that book.
   We’ll drop in on her tomorrow.
10. (intransitive, computing, music">music, television, colloquial) Of a programme, software, a music">music album or song, etc.: to enter public distribution.
    The album Hip-Hop Xmas dropped in time for the holidays.
11. (intransitive, gambling) To drop out of the betting.
    But more important, if I dropped, Marty would have won the hand automatically. 1990, Stewart Wolpin, The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle, page 219
12. (intransitive, physiology, informal) Of the testicles: to hang further away from the body and begin producing sperm due to puberty.
13. (intransitive, obsolete) To let drops fall; to discharge itself in drops.
14. (transitive) To drip (a liquid) in drops or small amounts.
15. (transitive, ergative, also figurative) To let (something) fall; to allow (something) to fall (either by releasing hold of, or losing one's grip on).
    Don’t drop that plate!    The police ordered the men to drop their weapons.
    But signalman Bridges was never to answer driver Gimbert's desperate question. A deafening, massive blast blew the wagon to shreds, the 44 high-explosive bombs exploding like simultaneous hits from the aircraft they should have been dropped from. The station was instantly reduced to bits of debris, and the line to a huge crater. January 12 2022, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 43
16. (transitive) To move to a lower position; to allow to hang downwards; to lower.
    1. To quickly lower or take down (one's trousers), especially in public.
    2. (cooking) To cook (food, especially fast food), particularly by lowering into hot oil to deep-fry, or by grilling.
       Drop a basket of fries.
17. (transitive) To reduce; to make smaller.
    Here is a simple example: suppose you are in the process of writing a 15-page proposal and at a certain point you decide that, in order to fit all your material, you want to drop the font size from 12 to 11. 2011, Alexander Mamishev, Sean Williams, Technical Writing for Teams: The STREAM Tools Handbook, page 64
18. (transitive) Of an animal (usually a sheep): to give birth to (young); of a bird: to lay (an egg).
    to drop a lamb
19. (transitive) To mention (something) casually or incidentally, usually in conversation.
    The lecturer would drop hints whenever the students struggled.
    name drop
    By 1996, ‘jungle’ and ‘drum and bass’ were the words to drop. 2013 [1998], Simon Reynolds, Energy Flash, new and revised edition, Faber & Faber
20. (transitive) To let (a letter, etc.) fall into a postbox; hence, to send (a letter, email, or other message) in an offhand manner.
    As she had a free moment, she dropped her a text.
    Drop me a note when you get to the city.
21. (transitive) To make (someone or something) fall to the ground from a blow, gunshot, etc.; to bring down, to shoot down.
    Make any sudden movements and I will drop you!
    1846, ed. by G. W. Nickisson, “Elephant-Shooting in Ceylon”, in Fraser's Magazine, vol. XXXIII, no. CXCVII page 562: ...if the first shot does not drop him, and he rushes on, the second will be a very hurried and most likely ineffectual one... page 568 ...with a single shot he dropped him like a master of the art.
    As with all other animals, a shot behind the shoulder is the most likely to drop the beast on the spot […] 1892, Alexander A. A. Kinloch, Large Game Shooting in Thibet, the Himalayas, Northern and Central India, page 126
    He dropped the beast with a bullet in its heart. 1921, Daniel Henderson, Boone of the Wilderness, page 54
    The piano player's out, the music stopped / His boy had beef, and he got dropped... 1985, Beastie Boys (lyrics and music), “Paul Revere”
    With a quick clench of the fist on Joey's throat, Bodie dropped him. The man crumpled to the ground […] 1992, Dan Parkinson, Dust on the Wind, page 164
22. (transitive) To set down (someone or something) from a vehicle; to stop and deliver or deposit (someone or something); to drop off.
    Could you drop me at the airport on your way to work tomorrow?
    I’ll be dropping the parcel at your place later.
23. (transitive) To lower (a sound, a voice, etc.) in pitch or volume.
    1. (transitive, music) To tune (a guitar string, etc.) to a lower note.
24. (transitive) To cease concerning oneself over (someone or something); to have nothing more to do with (a discussion, subject, etc.).
    I’m tired of this subject. Will you just drop it?
    They suddenly dropt the pursuit. 1739, Samuel Sharp, A Treatise on the Operations of Surgery
25. (transitive) To dispose or get rid of (something); to lose, to remove.
    I dropped ten pounds and an obnoxious fiancée.
26. (transitive) To cease to include (something), as if on a list; to dismiss, to eject, to expel.
    I’ve been dropped from the football team.
    If Carly Telford’s replacement of Karen Bardsley, because of a hamstring injury, was enforced, the switch to 4-4-1-1 was not. This new-look configuration saw Rachel Daly deployed in front of Lucy Bronze down the right, Toni Duggan and Fran Kirby dropped, Beth Mead introduced on the left and Nikita Parris moved up front. 2 July 2019, Louise Taylor, The Guardian
27. (transitive) To cancel or cease to participate in (a scheduled course, event, or project).
    I had to drop calculus because it was taking up too much of my time.
    The specialists she had taken her daughter to see attributed her collection of symptoms to the lingering effect of the many concussions she suffered playing sports. She had at least one concussion every year since she was in the fourth grade. Because of her frequent head injuries, her parents made her drop all her sports. 2022-10-13, Lisa Sanders, M.D., “She Suffered From Headaches and Fatigue. Were Concussions to Blame?”, in The New York Times Magazine
28. (transitive, slang)
    1. To lose, spend, or otherwise part with (money).
       The question was: Who put the most in the collection box? The wealthy guy, who dropped a “C” note, or the tattered old dame who parted with her last tarnished penny. 1949, The Atlantian, volume 8, Atlanta: United States Penitentiary, page 41
       I forked over the $19.25. I was in no position to be dropping twenties like gumdrops but I deserved something good from this crappy morning. 2000, Lisa Reardon, Blameless: A Novel, Random House, page 221
    2. To pass or use (counterfeit cheques, money, etc.).
    3. To impart (something).
       I drop knowledge wherever I go.
    4. Especially in drop acid: to swallow (a drug, particularly LSD).
29. (transitive, computing, music, television, colloquial) To release (a programme, software, a music album or song, etc.) to the public.
    They dropped the album Hip-Hop Xmas in time for the holidays.
    That hacker has been threatening to drop my docs [i.e. publish my personal information].
30. (transitive, linguistics) To fail to write, or (especially) to pronounce (a syllable, letter, etc.).
    Cockneys drop their aitches.
31. (transitive, music">music)
    1. To play (a portion of music">music) in the manner of a disc jockey.
       I love it when he drops his funky beats.
       That guy can drop the bass like a monster.
    2. To perform (rap music).
       Yo, I drop rhymes like nobody’s business.
32. (transitive, sports)
    1. (originally US) To (unexpectedly) lose (a competition, game, etc.).
    2. (cricket) Of a fielder: to fail to dismiss (a batsman) by accidentally dropping a batted ball that had initially been caught.
       Warne dropped Tendulkar on 99. Tendulkar went on to get a century next ball.
    3. (rugby) To score (a goal) by means of a drop kick.
33. (transitive, archaic) To cover (something) with or as if with drops, especially of a different colour; to bedrop, to variegate.
34. (intransitive, computing) To enter a more basic interface.
    Next, you drop to a shell.
35. (transitive, computing) To present (the user) with a more basic interface.
    The next step drops the user to a recovery shell.