lop

1 of 3

noun

: material cut away from a tree
especially : parts discarded in lumbering

lop

2 of 3

verb (1)

lopped; lopping

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to cut off branches or twigs from
(2)
: to sever from a woody plant
b(1)
archaic : to cut off the head or limbs of
(2)
: to cut from a person
2
a
: to remove superfluous parts from
b
: to eliminate as unnecessary or undesirable
usually used with off

lop

3 of 3

verb (2)

lopped; lopping

intransitive verb

: to hang downward : droop

Examples of lop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The plaintiffs described the final round of admissions, called the lop. Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 25 July 2023 Its performance, though flavored more along the lines of nutmeg than tabasco, whips up enthusiasm and lops off miles. Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 15 June 2023 Beneath the lop layer is the white, spongy pith, which is unpleasantly bitter. Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appétit, 22 Mar. 2023 What better way to remedy all of that than with a significant lop? Didi Gluck, Allure, 2 Mar. 2023 The loafer shape gives it a snappier look than your average slip-on, while the dusty rose shade offers a lop of color. Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Jan. 2022 Others turn just once from stiff to squishy, letting an animal like a starfish lop off one of its own arms to escape a predator. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2017 Apatow wears shade 203 in the outer part of the lip and slightly shade 10 to the center of the lop to create a gradient and make the lips appear even fuller. ELLE, 7 July 2022 With a base of biodegradable and recyclable rubber, a suede-y lop layer also features UV-protection to prevent fading with outdoor use. Vogue, 8 Jan. 2022
Verb
Ballinger said climate change has shortened the season as lingering higher temperatures often delay the start before returning early in the spring to lop it off. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024 The bulk of the narrative feels like the middle of a story stretched out over two hours, with the ending lopped off. Lucas Trevor, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2023 The high-tech machine digs up brown sugar beets, lops off their tops, and conveys them to an onboard storage bin. Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2023 With Brasier lopped off the roster, third baseman Rafael Devers and starter Chris Sale are the only members of the 2018 team still with the Sox. Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 14 May 2023 State lotteries typically lop off 24% of winnings for federal taxes, and the bill can run even higher because the top federal income tax rate is 37%. Scott McFetridge, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2023 With interest rates rising and mortgage costs with them, homebuilders are pulling in yards, tightening living rooms and lopping off bedrooms in an attempt to keep the monthly payment in line with what families can afford. Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023 The Manchester-Leeds leg was lopped off by the Conservative government in 2021, and the high-speed line will now end at Birmingham. Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2023 Men walk through a lush plantation between Ecuador ‘s balmy Pacific coast and its majestic Andes, lopping hundreds of bunches of green bananas from groaning plants twice their height. Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023
Verb
Those wishing to mark the arrival of warmer weather with close-cropped chop—or simply lop off manes grown in quarantine—have a new bad gal advocate: Rihanna. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 6 May 2021 What is the best way to lop about 1 foot of height off? oregonlive, 29 Jan. 2023 Parents may be tempted to lop off the asymmetrical-faced end of this. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2012 The plan would generally restore pre-pandemic rail service, but lop off part of the Yellow Line, which would cease operations north of Mount Vernon Square. Justin George, Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2022 Barb Cooksley, a rancher in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, sets a personal goal to lop at least 1,000 trees each year to keep her family’s patch of prairie thriving. WIRED, 23 Nov. 2022 Within hours, the gates of the most notorious symbol of the Cold War opened for good, as champagne flowed and jubilant Germans with pickaxes began to lop off large chunks of the wall. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 June 2022 In mid-spring, before the plants start to show signs of flowers, lop off the two- to three-foot-high stalks. Bon Appétit, 29 Apr. 2022 With the weather heating up, this is a sweet way to lop off extra layers, but with a sweet, fresh twist. Elle Turner, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2022

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English loppe

Verb (2)

perhaps imitative

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb (2)

1578, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lop was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near lop

Cite this Entry

“Lop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lop. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lop

verb
ˈläp
lopped; lopping
1
: to cut branches or twigs from a tree
2
: to remove unnecessary or undesirable parts from something
usually used with off
lopper noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lop

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!