What does lop mean?
Lop means to cut away or trim material, especially branches, vegetation, or hair, with a strong stroke. It can also describe something hanging loosely or drooping, as in a dog whose ears lop beside its head. The verb is often transitive, taking the material being cut as its object, although the expression “lop off” is especially frequent in gardening and informal speech. Its second sense conveys a pendulous, untidy, or relaxed appearance and is often used of ears, foliage, or other features that hang down. Although “lop” may sound abrupt or destructive, it can also be neutral and practical: a gardener lops a hedge, a barber lops hair, and a tree’s branches lop over a wall. The word is especially evocative because it captures both active trimming and the resulting downward movement or shape.
verbTo cut off branches, hair, or other material with a sharp or heavy stroke. It can also mean to hang loosely or droop.
- To cut off or trim away material, especially hair, branches, or vegetation, with a sharp or heavy stroke.
- To hang or fall loosely; droop.
"She carefully lopped the lower branches before the tree was moved."
"The gardener lopped the hedge into a neat rectangular shape."
"Her ears lopped against her cheeks whenever she bent down."
From shaggy ears to overhanging branches, a lop is what happens when something is cut back or allowed to droop.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lop come from?
The word comes through Middle English, where forms related to loppen were used for cutting away material and letting something hang. It belongs to a Germanic family of words with parallels in Dutch and German, although the exact meanings of those forms have shifted over time. Modern lop developed specialized cutting and hanging senses and also contributed to related forms such as lopsided.
Related word forms
How lop is actually used
The verb is common in gardening, hairdressing, and figurative descriptions of heavy or loosely hanging features. In British English, “lop off” often implies removing something decisively with a stroke or series of strokes.
Easily confused with lop
Lop means to cut material away or hang loosely, whereas lope means to move with a long, relaxed stride.