lop

1 of 3

noun

ˈläp 

: material cut away from a tree

especially : parts discarded in lumbering

lop

2 of 3

verb (1)

lopped; lopping

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: to cut off branches or twigs from

(2)

: to sever from a woody plant

b(1)

archaic : to cut off the head or limbs of

(2)

: to cut from a person

2

a

: to remove superfluous parts from

b

: to eliminate as unnecessary or undesirable

—usually used with off

lop

3 of 3

verb (2)

lopped; lopping

intransitive verb

: to hang downward : droop

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• bob
• clip
• crop
• cut
• cut back
• dock
• nip
• pare
• poll
• prune
• shave
• shear
• snip
• trim

Examples of lop in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the hair stylist started by lopping off several inches from her long tresses, before beginning to shape what was left

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The plaintiffs described the final round of admissions, called the lop. —Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 25 July 2023

Its performance, though flavored more along the lines of nutmeg than tabasco, whips up enthusiasm and lops off miles. —Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 15 June 2023

Verb

The formula for the volume of a truncated pyramid (one with its top lopped off, also known as a frustum) is an order of magnitude more sophisticated. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024

Altogether, 14 decimal places will have been lopped off the bolivar, meaning a one bolivar note in 2022 will be worth 100 trillion bolivars of the 2008 vintage. —Moisés Naím, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English loppe

Verb (2)

perhaps imitative

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb (2)

1578, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lop

• lop-eared

Kids Definition

lop

verb

ˈläp

lopped; lopping

1

: to cut branches or twigs from a tree

2

: to remove unnecessary or undesirable parts from something

—usually used with off

lopper noun