cop

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkäp 

plural cops

informal

: police officer

They called the cops to report a robbery.

As he awaits trial, the retired cop is on the other side of the law.

—Michael Wilson

… the department invests in officers and their futures by providing training that makes them better cops.

—Laura Lane

cop

2 of 4

verb

copped; copping

transitive verb

1

slang : to get hold of : catch, capture

also : purchase

2

slang : steal, swipe

3

: adopt sense 2

cop an attitude

intransitive verb

slang : admit sense 2b

—used with to

these small-timers would … cop to the smallest offense their attorney could negotiate

—Tom Clancy

cop

3 of 4

noun (2)

plural cops

1

: a cylindrical or conical mass of thread, yarn, or roving wound on a quill or tube

a cop of yarn

also : a quill or tube upon which it is wound

2

archaic, dialectal, chiefly England : top, crest

cop

4 of 4

abbreviation

1

copper

2

copulative

3

copy

4

copyright

Phrases

cop a plea

: to plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to avoid standing trial for a more serious one

broadly : to admit fault and plead for mercy

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bobby [British]
• bull [slang]
• constable [chiefly British]
• copper
• flatfoot [slang]
• fuzz
• gendarme
• lawman
• officer
• police officer
• policeman
• shamus [slang]

Verb

• buy
• pick up
• purchase
• take

Examples of cop in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a cop stopped her for speeding

Verb

I managed to cop an invitation.

He copped the idea from me.

They expected me to cop all the blame!

He copped the full force of the blow.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That claim has been spread by the network of inauthentic websites controlled by former Florida cop John Dougan, who now lives in Moscow and runs a network of pro-Kremlin websites. —David Gilbert, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2024

On Thursday, Abdallahi was charged with an additional felony count of terrorism and one felony count of a hate crime, Chicago’s top cop, Supt. —Nbc Chicago, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

There’s also a bunch of merch to cop like a DOOM action figure and a cereal bowl with a spoon like the one on the cover. —Angel Diaz, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2024

He’s somehow never copped that prize either, finishing a close 2nd four times now. —Tony Blengino, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

short for copper entry 3

Verb

perhaps from Dutch kapen to steal, from Frisian kāpia to buy; akin to Old High German kouf trade — more at cheap entry 3

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old English copp

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1859, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1704, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing cop

• cop a feel
• cop an attitude
• cop a plea
• cop hold of
• cop it
• cop off with
• cop out
• cop shop
• cop to
• it's a fair cop
• not much cop
• rent-a-cop
• traffic cop

Kids Definition

cop

1 of 2 verb

ˈkäp 

copped; copping

1

slang : to get hold of : capture entry 2 sense 1a

2

slang : steal entry 1 sense 2a

3

: adopt sense 2

cop an attitude

cop

2 of 2 noun

informal

: police officer

Etymology

Verb

probably from Dutch kapen "to steal"