drop-off

1 of 2

noun

1
: a very steep or perpendicular descent
2
: a marked dwindling or decline
a drop-off in attendance
3
: the act or an instance of making a usually brief deposit or delivery
drop-off points along the route

drop off

2 of 2

verb

dropped off; dropping off; drops off

intransitive verb

: to fall asleep

Examples of drop-off in a Sentence

Noun the drop-off in movie attendance was the greatest in more than a decade Verb my interest in photography has dropped off over the years
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Thursday’s signature drop-off was one of the major hurdles the campaign had to accomplish before reaching the ballot. Anna Sago and, Kansas City Star, 2 May 2024 And yet, while perception and raw numbers showed a slight drop-off from his 2022 season, analytics show Williams made strides in a number of key areas heading into the NFL. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024 For other participating cities and drop-off sites in the county, visit dea.gov/takebackday. DEL MAR Spring Home/Garden Show at fairgrounds The San Diego Spring Home/Garden Show will be back from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 27 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 28 for the 39th year at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2024 These drop-offs and pickups typically take about 15 minutes each. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024 Redbox hit a steep drop-off in business and reported mounting losses, leading the company to lay off 150 employees, about 10% of its workforce. Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024 The fact that the drop-off in sales has been so gradual is yet further evidence that the band is reaching new fans. Billboard Japan, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024 Sample drop-off: April 19 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., architects, contractors and designers can donate unwanted material samples for community reuse. Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2024 Likewise, any areas where a deeper, open drop-off butts up against a shallow weed bed is prime, as pike will patrol the edges waiting for food to come out of the weeds and become exposed. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 18 Apr. 2024
Verb
Helicopters landed on the ridge dropping off firefighters. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024 Door plugs are dropping off of Boeing 737 and small planes alike. Angela Haupt, TIME, 10 May 2024 On busy spring days, buses of children showing up at the current Land’s Park location may have to wait for up to an hour to drop off children, Geiger said. Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024 Every morning, Morris would be dropped off early at Windward by his father on his way to his job at the post office. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024 The fun-sized herd started out attending outdoor children's parties and private visits around southern England, but Woodland needed a way to keep business from dropping off with the temperatures every winter. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024 Other gift ideas include sponsoring a lunch for a shift, dropping off a gift basket and sending thank you cards. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 7 May 2024 Many vulnerable travelers are dropped off in remote stretches of hostile land, left for patrollers to discover. Ally Schweitzer, NPR, 6 May 2024 However, video surveillance footage obtained by Sullivan showed her grandson get dropped off by the zTrip and realize the doors were locked. Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 4 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drop-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1812, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drop-off was in 1812

Dictionary Entries Near drop-off

Cite this Entry

“Drop-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drop-off. Accessed 14 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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