droop

[ droop ]
See synonyms for droop on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to sag, sink, bend, or hang down, as from weakness, exhaustion, or lack of support.

  2. to fall into a state of physical weakness; flag; fail.

  1. to lose spirit or courage.

  2. to descend, as the sun; sink.

verb (used with object)
  1. to let sink or drop: an eagle drooping its wings.

noun
  1. a sagging, sinking, bending, or hanging down, as from weakness, exhaustion, or lack of support.

Origin of droop

1
1300–50; Middle English drupen,drowpen<Old Norse drūpa; akin to drop

Other words for droop

Other words from droop

  • droop·ing·ly, adverb
  • re·droop, verb (used without object)
  • un·droop·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use droop in a sentence

  • "The first clue was my landing time," says Jenna, her eyelids already drooping after one hit.

    Welcome to the Jungle: Pot Tourism | Abby Haglage, Caitlin Dickson | February 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • On the other hand, it has restored drooping public support in allied countries for the idea of allying with Washington.

    Obama as Hardheaded Liberal | Michael Fullilove, Steven Casey | August 27, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • When it was his turn to speak he was dull and off-form, his eyes drooping with fatigue.

    Big Dog and the Whippet | Tina Brown | November 3, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Mrs. Haight regarded the radiant young hostess with a malignant stare, prudently veiled by drooping lids.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • The draught invigorated Marius, it cheered Tressan's drooping spirits, and it quenched the Dowager's thirst.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • His shoulders were drooping forward, his head was bowed, and his face was heavy with grief.

    Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
  • No drooping Clytie could be more constant than I to him who strikes the chord that is responsive in my soul.

    The Fifth String   | John Philip Sousa
  • He looked up as a middle-aged man with a drooping mustache approached.

    Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland

British Dictionary definitions for droop

droop

/ (druːp) /


verb
  1. to sag or allow to sag, as from weakness or exhaustion; hang down; sink

  2. (intr) to be overcome by weariness; languish; flag

  1. (intr) to lose courage; become dejected

noun
  1. the act or state of drooping

Origin of droop

1
C13: from Old Norse drūpa; see drop

Derived forms of droop

  • drooping, adjective
  • droopingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012