sop

¹

[ sop ]

noun

1. a piece of solid food, as bread, for dipping in liquid food.
2. anything thoroughly soaked.
3. something given to pacify or quiet, or as a bribe:

   The political boss gave him some cash as a sop.

   Synonyms: payoff, gratuity, tip

4. a weak-willed or spineless person; milksop.

verb (used with object)

, sopped, sop·ping.

1. to dip or soak in liquid food:

   to sop bread in gravy.

2. to drench.
3. to take up (liquid) by absorption (usually followed by up ):

   He used bread to sop up the gravy.

verb (used without object)

, sopped, sop·ping.

1. to be or become soaking wet.
2. (of a liquid) to soak (usually followed by in ).

SOP

²

or S.O.P.

abbreviation for

1. Standard Operating Procedure; Standing Operating Procedure.

sop.

³

abbreviation for

1. soprano.

sop

¹

/ sɒp /

noun

1. often plural food soaked in a liquid before being eaten
2. a concession, bribe, etc, given to placate or mollify

   a sop to one's feelings

3. informal.
   a stupid or weak person

verb

1. tr to dip or soak (food) in liquid
2. whenintr, often foll by in to soak or be soaked

sop.

²

abbreviation for

1. soprano

SOP

³

abbreviation for

1. standard operating procedure

Word History and Origins

Origin of sop¹

First recorded before 1000; (for the noun) Middle English; Old English sopp; cognate with Old Norse soppa; verb derivative of the noun; sup ³

Origin of sop²

First recorded in 1940–45

Word History and Origins

Origin of sop¹

Old English sopp; related to Old Norse soppa soup , Old High German sopfa milk with bread; see sup ²

Example Sentences

Several environmental groups have come out against them, especially the hubs focused on blue hydrogen, which their foes consider a sop to the fossil-fuel industry with high potential for carbon dioxide leaks.

From Los Angeles Times

“There was also a man whose cell was covered in mold and water and he was using his clothes to sop up the water,” Broder said.

From Los Angeles Times

Today, first-line immunotherapies include plasmapheresis, in which blood is circulated outside the body to purge plasma of antibodies, or an infusion of immunoglobulins—antibodies produced by plasma cells—which prompts the body to sop up autoantibodies.

From Science Magazine

A creek had been dammed, creating ponds that slowed the flow of water so the surrounding earth had more time to sop it up.

From Los Angeles Times

They've specially designed Cdots to sop up automotive oil and are currently exploring a Cdot-based filter system to help treat oil spills.

From Science Daily