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

“It’s only when there’s a lot of fresh fruit that the bottom tends to get sopping wet.”

From Salon

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

And without a strong national narrative, your policies will be seen as sops to special interests and particular groups rather than as vital to the whole nation’s welfare.

From Salon

Clear skies helped dry out the sopping city over the weekend but also presented a new danger as temperatures climbed to around 90 degrees and were expected to stay.

From New York Times