From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdropdrop1 /drɒp $ drɑːp/ ●●● S1 W2 verb (dropped, dropping) 1 let something fall [transitive] a) FALLto stop holding or carrying something so that it falls He dropped his briefcase on a chair. She screamed and dropped the torch. b) to make something such as a bomb fall from a plane U.S. planes began dropping bombs on the city. Supplies are being dropped for the refugees.2 fall [intransitive]FALL to fall suddenly onto the ground or into somethingdrop from/off The apples are beginning to drop from the trees. Your button has dropped off.3 move your body down [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive]BEND to lower yourself or part of your body suddenlydrop down/onto/into He dropped down onto the floor and hid under the table. She dropped her head back against the cushion.4 become less [intransitive]LESS to fall to a lower level or amount, especially a much lower level or amountdrop suddenly/sharply/dramatically The number of deaths on the roads has dropped sharply. Temperatures drop quite dramatically at night, so bring some warm clothing.drop to Their share of the market dropped to 50 percent this year.► see thesaurus at decrease5 reduce [transitive]LESS to reduce the level or amount of something You might be able to get them to drop the price. As soon as she saw the police car she dropped her speed. 6 not include [transitive]DS to decide not to include someone or something His name was dropped from the list.drop somebody from a team/side Taylor was bitterly disappointed to be dropped from the England side.7 stop doing something [transitive]STOP DOING something to stop doing something, discussing something, or continuing with something The proposal was dropped after opposition from civil liberties groups.drop charges/drop a case New evidence was presented to the court and the case was dropped.drop a subject at school/university (=stop studying it) Students are allowed to drop history in Year 9. You can’t expect me to drop everything (=completely stop doing whatever I am doing) whenever you’re in town. Oh, drop the ‘Senator’ (=stop calling me ‘Senator’) – just call me Gordon. Some time later, the matter was quietly dropped.8 stop talking about something [intransitive, transitive]STOP DOING something to stop talking about somethingdrop the subject To her relief, Julius dropped the subject.drop it (=stop talking about a subject) Just drop it, will you? I don’t want to talk about it anymore. ‘What about the money?’ ‘We’ve agreed to let it drop (=we have agreed not to talk about it anymore).’9 take somebody somewhere (also drop off) [transitive]TTC to take someone by car to a place and leave them there, especially on your way to another place Just drop me here – I can walk the rest of the way.drop somebody at something She dropped Johnny at the school gates at about 8:30.10 take something somewhere [transitive]TAKE/BRING to take something to a place and leave it theredrop something round/in I’ve got your books – I’ll drop them round to your place later. 11 visit [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]DLVISIT to visit someone you know, usually without arranging a particular timedrop by/round I just dropped by to see how you were getting on. The kids drop round and see her from time to time.drop into Jan dropped into the office this morning to tell me her news.drop in (on somebody) Why don’t you drop in for a drink one evening?12 slope downwards [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]DNDOWN if a path, land etc drops, it goes down suddenly, forming a steep slopedrop down The cliff dropped down over a hundred feet to the sea below.drop away On the left the ground drops away, giving a view over the rooftops.13 end a relationship [transitive]RELATIONSHIP informal to suddenly stop having a relationship with someone, especially a romantic relationship She dropped him as soon as she found out he had been seeing another woman.14 → until/till you drop15 → drop a hint16 → drop somebody a line/note17 → drop dead18 → somebody’s jaw dropped19 → drop your eyes/gaze20 → the wind drops21 → drop a bombshell22 → drop somebody in it23 → drop $50/£2,000 etc24 → drop a catch25 → drop a point26 → be dropping like flies27 → drop a clanger/brick28 → drop a stitch29 → drop anchor30 → drop acidCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 7: to stop doing something, discussing something, or continuing with somethingdrop + NOUNdrop the charges/a case (=stop the legal process of trying to prove someone is guilty)Both men have been released and the charges have been dropped.drop everything (=completely stop everything you are doing)When my mother was sick, I just dropped everything and flew to be with her in Seattle.drop the ideaThe project was going to be too expensive so the idea was dropped.drop a planThe company has dropped its plan to build a hotel on the site.drop a scheme/program etcSome banks have dropped their student loan scheme.drop a subject (=stop studying it at school or university)Students may choose to drop a subject in their second year.drop the pretence (=stop pretending)He has finally dropped the pretence that he’s innocent. → drop back → drop off → drop out→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
drop• Minnesota Educational Computing Corp., which sells educational software, dropped 15 percent, or 3, to 17.• I have to drop 25 pounds to fit in the costume.• Lily dropped a cube of sugar into her champagne and they clinked glasses, still laughing.• He dropped a potential game-winning touchdown pass in the end zone on fourth down against Green Bay with 11 seconds left.• Marian has dropped all her old friends since she started college.• Allied planes began dropping bombs at midnight Tuesday.• I'm too busy to just drop everything and go out for the day.• I think I may drop French next year and concentrate on my other languages.• As soon as she saw him she dropped her suitcases and ran towards him.• Barbara dropped her voice so Nelson wouldn't hear.• He couldn't run fast enough, so the coach dropped him.• A buyer might say that he is willing to buy if the seller drops his price by £100.• Clarisa reclaimed him an hour later as the sun dropped into the ocean.• I don't think this article will be of interest to our readers. Let's drop it.• Getz dropped McCallum with a right blow to the jaw.• I nearly dropped my glass on the floor when they said I'd won.• I dropped my sunglasses and they broke.• I need to drop off these papers at Bob's.• If you take four classes you can drop one later if you need to.• Studies had shown that the more assessment tests a student failed, the likelier that student was to drop out.• Because of strong opposition, the government has dropped plans to increase taxes on fuel.• Be careful not to drop that bowl, it's very valuable.• Margaret dropped the letters onto her desk.• Her hands shake constantly and she keeps dropping things.• A few pine cones had already dropped to the ground.• I'll drop you at the corner, okay?drop from/off• Both rates dropped from 1994 levels.• His approval rating dropped from a high of about 70 percent, but still stands at around 60 percent.• Their height drops off only linearly with distance.• He plays in a definite way, dropping off scrums into a defensive pocket.• These patients were dropped from the study but were allowed to re-enter eight weeks later.• We dropped off the wounded at 4 a. m., but the kid stayed with us.• Singer wins 20 but drops off to seven and seven for the Angels.• However, the performance of monocrystalline cells drops off with the longer wavelengths of light in this spectrum.dropped ... head• Laura sobbed, and dropped her head.• He swung himself to sit on the edge of the bed, and dropped his head in his hands.• He dropped his head into his hands.• I sat and dropped my head into my hands.• Wally dropped his head into my lap and began nuzzling my crotch.• Barnabas dropped his head on his front paws.• There was certainly something different about this one, she thought dreamily, and dropped her head on his shoulder again. drop suddenly/sharply/dramatically• After three decades of promotion, the Pap test is largely the reason why cervical cancer deaths have dropped sharply.• As in Iowa, New Hampshire had recovered from a 1992 recession and had seen unemployment drop sharply.• But when a manganese plant south of the city closed, those levels dropped dramatically.• Her opinion of Benedict Beckenham dropped sharply.• The number of people in the catchment area of the resource centre who now seek residential care has dropped dramatically.• Their balance of payments deficits have been alarmingly large, and their currencies have dropped sharply, aggravating their inflationary problems.• Now the rate of new infections drops dramatically along a mathematical curve almost the opposite of the one it initially rose upon.dropped ... speed• If you want a person to be dropped I suggest Speed.• Shaken, Fabio dropped his speed and began to look for a place to stop.drop everything• I can't just drop everything.• You have to drop everything and attend to it.• When she came home he dropped everything and everybody, including me, and ran to her.• There was no point in dropping everything and quitting.• For her, he dropped everything - including his pants.• You pop up out of the blue and expect me to drop everything, just like that.• It got broken when I dropped everything last night.• March 17 is an official holiday when the whole island drops everything to tip their pints and dance to fife and drum. let it drop• She didn't understand, so I let it drop.• Sev eral times he raised his hand to knock, but each time he let it drop.• Tommy shot the bolts on the tailgate and let it drop.• Then she let it drop again.• They let it drop for a while.• The Union filed a grievances and then, after the first step, let it drop, indifferently, from its beak.• That's the only explanation for it, but you try proving it ... Maybe you should let it drop, love.• I wouldn't have heard it except that Mitch let it drop one day when he was angry.drop in (on somebody)• You can find freshwater ones in most streams simply by dropping in a piece of raw meat or liver.• The one-time gain reflected a drop in financing costs after the conversion of 836 million francs in convertible bonds.• Motorola blamed lagging sales and lower prices for wireless phones for an unexpected drop in fourth-quarter earnings.• The decline was in part due to a sharp drop in gasoline prices.• Far better to await a further sharp drop in mortgage rates into the high or even middling single digits.• The method was harsh, but brought a 17 percent drop in retail prices and an end to formal rationing.• You are not looking for a fast drop in weight.drop away• On either score, actual artists and their intentions somehow dropped away.• The trouble and ache of the last few minutes circled the center of his feeling and then dropped away.• This is a positive procedure, and when the healing has taken place the scab drops away.• The Government buildings along the Embankment drop away behind us, and here I am in another world, another life.• Memory of Sweet Home dropped away from the eyes of the man she was being girlish for.• Indeed, as the stereotypes dropped away, humans astonished them-selves with the ranges of behavior they could thrive within.• In the following year membership reached a peak, before dropping away in 1938 and 1939.• By 1880, however it had dropped away to under 200,000 tons. dropdrop2 ●●● S2 W3 noun 1 liquid [countable]LIQUID a very small amount of liquid that falls in a round shapedrop of As the first drops of rain began to fall, Michael started to run. A single drop of blood splashed onto the floor. A drop of sweat ran down her forehead and into her eye. → rain drop, teardrop► see thesaurus at piece2 small amount [usually singular] informal a) DFDLIQUIDa small amount of liquid that you drink, especially alcoholdrop of She likes to add a drop of brandy to her tea. George hasn’t touched a drop (=drunk any alcohol) for years. b) SMALLa small amount of somethingdrop of I haven’t got a drop of sympathy for him.3 reduction [singular]LESS a reduction in the amount, level, or number of something, especially a large or sudden one SYN falldrop in Manufacturers report a big drop in new orders. a drop in temperaturea sharp/dramatic/marked drop in something The results showed a sharp drop in profits.4 distance to ground [singular]DNDISTANCE a distance from a higher point down to the ground or to a lower point There was a steep drop on one side of the track. a 20-metre drop There was an almost sheer (=vertical) drop to the valley below.5 → at the drop of a hat6 delivery [countable]TTA an act of delivering something somewhere, for example by dropping it from a plane SYN delivery Air drops (=from a plane) of food aid were made to the region yesterday. My first drop of the day is usually somewhere in north London. → mail drop7 → lemon/fruit/chocolate etc drop8 → a drop in the ocean9 → eye/ear etc dropsExamples from the Corpus
drop• Despite the air drops of food and tents, the refugees continue to suffer.• Big drops of rain slid down the window pane.• Unfortunately, the talent level took a definite drop by the late-1980s.• Then for every drop of oil that stuck to the chopstick a drop of water remained in the bottle.• Add a few drops of vanilla essence, the egg white and half the butter.• She applied a few drops of perfume behind her ears and smiled at her reflection in the mirror.• It's a twenty-five-foot drop from this cliff.• In fact, each individual drop of water is describing a circular motion which takes it nowhere overall.• Worrell had achieved any captain's dream of knowing that his players would give their last drop of sweat just for him.• It was the worst one-day stock market drop since the Great Crash of 1929.• Multiply the number of widths by the number of pattern repeats per drop to give the total number of pattern repeats required.• There was a sudden drop in the plane's altitude.• Maggie slid from the saddle and held the reins, her eyes on the drop to the lake.drop of• a tear drop• The glass in the kitchen still had a drop of milk in it.• Big drops of rain splashed on the sidewalk.a sharp/dramatic/marked drop in something• Cuts in salaries, bonuses and overtime payments have reduced many family-incomes and caused a sharp drop in consumer spending.• The announcement prompted a sharp drop in the share price, along with the departure of one Uni-Invest board member.• One reason: a sharp drop in the number of undergraduate students choosing economics as a major.• Guest houses reported a sharp drop in visitors on the popular route following the attack.• The Socialists suffered a sharp drop in votes and seats.• Could these factors contribute to a dramatic drop in the self-esteem of schoolgirls?• The decline was in part due to a sharp drop in gasoline prices.• Last year, a sharp drop in interest rates boosted the value of a 30-year Treasury bond by more than 30 percent.sheer ... drop• He'd had a short walk after the service and every path seemed to end in a cliff or a sheer drop.• There is a wind-blown cornice of about one and a half metres overhanging a sheer drop of about eight metres.• There was a sheer drop, half the height of a man, down to the water's surface.• They parked and walked to the cape where there was a terrifying sheer drop to the sea.• The fourth side of the clearing was sheer cliff drop, attended by a barrier of split rails.• The cliff was sheer, dropping down to secret rocky coves below them with the sea gently lapping white sand.From Longman Business Dictionarydropdrop1 /drɒpdrɑːp/ verb (dropped, dropping)1[intransitive] to fall to a lower level or amountdrop to/fromSecond quarter earnings this year dropped to $157 million from $182 million.Stock prices dropped sharply today.The dollar dropped against the Japanese yen today.Demand has dropped by 7%.2[transitive] to stop doing or planning somethingPlans to expand the business have been quietly dropped.She was persuaded to drop the harassment lawsuit.3[transitive] informal to lose money in business, a game etcHe dropped £1000 on the stockmarket.4[transitive]COMPUTING to place words, a picture etc into a particular computer document with the mouseEither drag and drop the page into a message or choose Send Page from under the File menu. → drop off→ See Verb tabledropdrop2 noun [countable usually singular] if there is a drop in the amount, level, or number of something, it goes down or becomes lessYesterday saw a sharp drop in stock prices.drop inBusiness is expecting a drop in interest rates later this year.The club has suffered a dramatic drop in profits.The first quarter total shows a drop from the same quarter last year. → see also leaflet drop, mail dropOrigin drop1 Old English droppian drop2 Old English dropa 