cop

¹ American  

[kop] / kɒp /

noun

Informal.

1. a police officer.

2. a person who seeks to regulate a specified behavior, activity, practice, etc..

   Once we have the government dictating language usage, then we'll start getting language cops.

---

cop ² American  

[kop] / kɒp /

verb (used with object)

Slang.

copped, copping

1. to catch; nab.

2. to steal; filch.

3. to buy (narcotics).

---

verb phrase

1. cop out

   1. to avoid one's responsibility, the fulfillment of a promise, etc.; renege; back out (often followed by on orof ).

      He never copped out on a friend in need.

      You agreed to go, and you can't cop out now.

   2. cop a plea.

idioms

1. cop a plea,

   1. to plead guilty or confess in return for receiving a lighter sentence.

   2. to plead guilty to a lesser charge as a means of bargaining one's way out of standing trial for a more serious charge; plea-bargain.

cop ³ American  

[kop] / kɒp /

noun

1. a conical mass of thread, yarn, etc., wound on a spindle.

2. British Dialect. the top or tip of something, as the crest of a hill.

---

COP ⁴ American  

abbreviation

Thermodynamics.

1. coefficient of performance.

---

cop. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. copper.

2. copyright; copyrighted.

---

Cop. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. Copernican.

2. Coptic.

---

cop ¹ British  

/ kɒp /

noun

1. another name for policeman

2. an arrest (esp in the phrase a fair cop )

3. an instance of plagiarism

---

verb

1. to seize or catch

2. to steal

3. to buy, steal, or otherwise obtain (illegal drugs) Compare score

4. Also: cop it.  to suffer (a punishment)

   you'll cop a clout if you do that!

5. slang

   1. to accept a penalty without complaint

   2. to have good fortune

cop ² British  

/ kɒp /

noun

1. a conical roll of thread wound on a spindle

2. dialect the top or crest, as of a hill

---

COP ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Certificate of Proficiency: a pass in a university subject

---

cop ⁴ British  

/ kɒp /

noun

1. slang (usually used with a negative) worth or value

   that work is not much cop

---

Usage

What else does cop mean? A cop is an informal term for a police officer.As a verb, cop is used in a variety of slang expressions meaning "grab" or "obtain," from copping a feel on someone (not recommended) to copping out on going to a party (meaning “not going”) to copping to (meaning “confessing to”) eating the last slice of pizza.

Etymology

Origin of cop¹

First recorded in 1855–60; shortening of copper ²

Origin of cop²

First recorded in 1695–1705; of uncertain origin; compare cap (obsolete) “to arrest,” Scots cap “to seize,” ultimately from dialectal Old French caper “to take,” from Latin capere

Origin of cop³

First recorded before 1000; Middle English cop(e), coppe “summit, peak; top (of a tower, building),” also “crown (of the head),” Old English cop(p) “tip, top, summit”; probably cognate with Dutch kop, German Kopf “head”; cup

Example Sentences

Fake cops, fake judges: The Hollywood-style scam poised to go global.

From MarketWatch

Mr. Bernthal, an Emmy winner for “The Bear,” imbues Sonny with a pinballing energy as he gabbles orders at the hostages and begins flailing negotiations with the cops massing outside.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Nothing,” she says, rolling past the cop car and turning into our driveway.

From Literature

Contacting her by WhatsApp video, the team of uniformed cops inside a police station said she was under arrest on suspicion of money laundering.

From The Wall Street Journal

But a bad cop in an easy situation can produce identical statistics to a good cop in a difficult one.

From The Wall Street Journal