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to droop

to droop

22 3.9
To bend down and hang limply because of being tired or without water
  • verb
  • /druːp/
translation icon : caerse
  • After a long day, his eyelids would often droop as he struggled to stay awake.
  • drooping mouths

But then it all starts to droop and sag.

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Examples

  • His mother's head had fallen back onto the pillow, and her eyelids drooped and fluttered.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Eneas closed his eyes and his head drooped, his chin grazing his chest.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • But then it all starts to droop and sag.

  • His head drooped over the side.

  • My father was never so silent again; my mother drooped much more often, it seemed.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Then his shoulders drooped forward, and he left the room with tears brimming in his eyes.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The flowers she and Amanda had arranged now drooped, already brown and withering.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The palm trees drooped and the flowers began to wilt in the blistering sun.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Joe is seated on a bench, shaded by drooping leaves that sway rhythmically.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Elliott Yekton spoke to him, kneeling; he addressed the drooping head in low tones.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

to lean
vsto droop
418 1.5

To bend or rest at an angle against something

is about unsupported limp hanging from weakness rather than leaning on support
to bend
vsto droop
194 1.0

To lean forward at the waist

denotes limp hanging from weakness rather than an active forward movement
to slump
vsto droop
55 4.0

To sit down or fall forward suddenly and heavily

refers to slow limp hanging due to weakness not a sudden collapse
to drop
vsto droop
26 1.0

To hang down loosely from above

is more about bending and limp hanging due to weakness
to slouch
vsto droop
22 4.6

To sit, stand, or walk with the shoulders and head bent forward in a lazy way

describes limp hanging from tiredness or weak support rather than lazy posture
to sag
vsto droop
19 2.8

To bend downward because of weight or weak support

is usually caused by tiredness weakness or lack of energy
to wilt
vsto droop
18 3.2

To become limp and droop from heat, lack of water, or disease

is the general term for limp hanging beyond plant contexts
to loll
vsto droop
3 6.0

To hang loosely like a branch or a dog's tongue

is more about limp hanging due to tiredness or weak support
to sag down
vsto droop
3.7

To hang lower because of weight or loss of support

is typically about bending or hanging due to tiredness or weakness
to swag
vsto droop
  • Archaic
9.3

To hang down in the middle because of weight

is used for limp hanging caused by tiredness or weak support

Antonyms

718 1.0

To move upward into the air, like smoke or mist

114 2.5

Make something straight and in the right position

How Droopy

to collapse
579 3.9
to sag
19 2.8
to droop
22 3.9
to slouch
22 4.6
to bend
268 1.0

Surface Forms

droop infinitive
drooped past
drooped past participle
drooping present participle
droops third person singular

Etymology

The word droop comes from an old word meaning 'to hang down' and is related to the common word drop, which means 'to fall'. So to droop is to bend or hang down slowly, as a tired person or a thirsty flower does.