DROP OFF

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does drop off mean? 

• DROP OFF (verb)
  The verb DROP OFF has 5 senses:

1. fall or diminish

2. change from a waking to a sleeping state

3. remove (cargo, people, etc.) from and leave

4. retreat

5. get worse

  Familiarity information: DROP OFF used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DROP OFF (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Fall or diminish

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The number of students in this course dropped off after the first test

Hypernyms (to "drop off" is one way to...):

decrease; diminish; fall; lessen (decrease in size, extent, or range)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

drop-off (a change downward)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Change from a waking to a sleeping state

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

dope off; doze off; drift off; drop off; drowse off; fall asleep; flake out; nod off

Context example:

he always falls asleep during lectures

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "drop off"):

zonk out (fall asleep fast, as when one is extremely tired)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 3

Meaning:

Remove (cargo, people, etc.) from and leave

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

discharge; drop; drop off; put down; set down; unload

Context example:

drop off the passengers at the hotel

Hypernyms (to "drop off" is one way to...):

deliver (bring to a destination, make a delivery)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "drop off"):

wharf (discharge at a wharf)

air-drop (drop (an object) from the air; unload from a plane or helicopter)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Retreat

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

drop off; fall back; fall behind; recede

Hypernyms (to "drop off" is one way to...):

regress; retrograde; retrogress (get worse or fall back to a previous condition)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 5

Meaning:

Get worse

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

drop away; drop off; fall away; slip

Context example:

My grades are slipping

Hypernyms (to "drop off" is one way to...):

decline; worsen (grow worse)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "drop off"):

backslide; lapse (drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

drop-off (a noticeable deterioration in performance or quality)

 Context examples 

Think about something pleasant, and you'll soon drop off.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

They began to drop off, to be brushed off against the sharp edge of the scuttle, to be knocked off by the legs which were now kicking powerfully.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A similar pattern emerged near the end of that cold snap, transitioning out of the ice age; the current started strengthening roughly 400 years before the atmosphere began to heat up dramatically, when Greenland warmed up rapidly — its average temperature climbed by about 8 degrees over just a few decades, causing glaciers to melt and sea ice to drop off considerably in the North Atlantic.

(A new study is the first to measure the time lags between changing ocean currents and major climate shifts., University of Cambridge)

No, he won't, he's so tired he will soon drop off and then the matter is settled, for he will understand that he has got to mind.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)