STOOP

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does stoop mean? 

• STOOP (noun)
  The noun STOOP has 3 senses:

1. an inclination of the top half of the body forward and downward

2. basin for holy water

3. small porch or set of steps at the front entrance of a house

  Familiarity information: STOOP used as a noun is uncommon.

• STOOP (verb)
  The verb STOOP has 5 senses:

1. bend one's back forward from the waist on down

2. debase oneself morally, act in an undignified, unworthy, or dishonorable way

3. descend swiftly, as if on prey

4. sag, bend, bend over or down

5. carry oneself, often habitually, with head, shoulders, and upper back bent forward

  Familiarity information: STOOP used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STOOP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An inclination of the top half of the body forward and downward

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("stoop" is a kind of...):

inclination; inclining (the act of inclining; bending forward)

Derivation:

stoop (carry oneself, often habitually, with head, shoulders, and upper back bent forward)

stoop (bend one's back forward from the waist on down)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Basin for holy water

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

stoop; stoup

Hypernyms ("stoop" is a kind of...):

basin (a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Small porch or set of steps at the front entrance of a house

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

stoep; stoop

Hypernyms ("stoop" is a kind of...):

porch (a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance)

• STOOP (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they stoop    ... he / she / it stoops   
Past simple: stooped   
Past participle: stooped   
-ing form: stooping   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Bend one's back forward from the waist on down

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bend; bow; crouch; stoop

Context example:

The young man stooped to pick up the girl's purse

Hypernyms (to "stoop" is one way to...):

bend; flex (form a curve)

"Stoop" entails doing...:

change posture (undergo a change in bodily posture)

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

squinch (crouch down)

cower; huddle (crouch or curl up)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Also:

stoop to (make concessions to)

Derivation:

stoop (an inclination of the top half of the body forward and downward)

stooper (a person who carries himself or herself with the head and shoulders habitually bent forward)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Debase oneself morally, act in an undignified, unworthy, or dishonorable way

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

condescend; lower oneself; stoop

Context example:

I won't stoop to reading other people's mail

Hypernyms (to "stoop" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Descend swiftly, as if on prey

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The eagle stooped on the mice in the field

Hypernyms (to "stoop" is one way to...):

pounce; swoop (move down on as if in an attack)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Sag, bend, bend over or down

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

the rocks stooped down over the hiking path

Hypernyms (to "stoop" is one way to...):

incline; pitch; slope (be at an angle)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

stooper (a person who carries himself or herself with the head and shoulders habitually bent forward)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Carry oneself, often habitually, with head, shoulders, and upper back bent forward

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

The old man was stooping but he could walk around without a cane

Hypernyms (to "stoop" is one way to...):

bear; carry; hold (support or hold in a certain manner)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

stoop (an inclination of the top half of the body forward and downward)

stooper (a person who carries himself or herself with the head and shoulders habitually bent forward)

 Context examples 

He gazed for a few seconds in the face; then stooped to kiss it—oh, how tenderly!—and drew a handkerchief before it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I stooped and peered over his shoulder through the gap.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

She looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her, so he stooped down and gave her a kiss.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

However, we had no luck, for just as Trelawney fired, down he stooped, the ball whistled over him, and it was one of the other four who fell.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Diana was a great deal taller than I: she put her hand on my shoulder, and, stooping, examined my face.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

I saw him stoop and strain until with a sharp crash it flew open.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The old gentleman softly stroked the hair off her forehead, and, stooping down, he kissed her, saying, in a tone few people ever heard...

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

His manner was brisk, and yet his general appearance gave an undue impression of age, for he had a slight forward stoop and a little bend of the knees as he walked.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He was stooping to kiss her, when Van Helsing motioned him back.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Then he stooped, picked it up himself, and with two strokes cut Buck’s traces.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)