lop

¹ American  

[lop] / lɒp /

verb (used with object)

lopped, lopping

1. to cut off (branches, twigs, etc.) from a tree or other plant.

2. to cut off (a limb, part, or the like) from a person, animal, etc.

3. to cut off the branches, twigs, etc., of (a tree or other plant).

4. to eliminate as unnecessary or excessive.

   We had to lop off whole pages of the report before presenting it to the committee.

5. Archaic. to cut off the head, limbs, etc., of (a person).

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verb (used without object)

lopped, lopping

1. to cut off branches, twigs, etc., as of a tree.

2. to remove parts by or as by cutting.

noun

1. parts or a part lopped off.

2. (of trees) the smaller branches and twigs not useful as timber.

lop ² American  

[lop] / lɒp /

verb (used without object)

lopped, lopping

1. to hang loosely or limply; droop.

2. to sway, move, or go in a drooping or heavy, awkward way.

3. to move in short, quick leaps.

   a rabbit lopping through the garden.

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verb (used with object)

lopped, lopping

1. to let hang or droop.

   He lopped his arms at his sides in utter exhaustion.

adjective

1. hanging down limply or droopingly.

   lop ears.

LOP ³ American  

abbreviation

Navigation.

1. line of position.

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lop ¹ British  

/ lɒp /

verb

1. to sever (parts) from a tree, body, etc, esp with swift strokes

2. to cut out or eliminate from as excessive

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noun

1. a part or parts lopped off, as from a tree

lop ² British  

/ lɒp /

verb

1. to hang or allow to hang loosely

2. (intr) to slouch about or move awkwardly

3. (intr) a less common word for lope

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lop ³ British  

/ lɒp /

noun

1. dialect a flea

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Other Word Forms

• lopper noun

Etymology

Origin of lop¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English loppe “cut off twigs or branches”; further origin uncertain; perhaps akin to Old English loppe “spider”; lop ², lobster

Origin of lop²

First recorded in 1570–80; verb use of obsolete noun lop “spider” or lop “drooping part of a tree,” that is, “to behave like a lop, to dangle, hang loosely”; lop ¹, lob ¹

Example Sentences

The new apartment will lop nearly $800 off their rent, said his wife, 36, adding, “It will be a great help, especially when we’re looking for child care.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

The bonus deduction is written to lop $6,000 or $12,000 from a household’s yearly taxable income.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 22, 2025

In his Newsnight interview, Lowe said of Farage's "brutal" leadership style "If people become, if you like, too tall a poppy, he tends to lop off the head of the poppy".

From BBC • May 15, 2025

Rub the excess paper from the head of garlic, trim its root end to remove any dirt and lop off the top ½-inch to expose the cloves.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 26, 2023

“First you gotta go in and lop off the branches. Then you chop down the trunk.”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• shear