What does sopping mean?
Sopping is an adjective describing someone or something that is soaking wet. It suggests that the subject is thoroughly saturated, often because it has been immersed in water, caught in heavy rain, or otherwise exposed to liquid. The phrase "sopping wet" is especially common and emphasizes both the amount of moisture and the visibly dripping condition that usually accompanies it. Sopping can be used figuratively to suggest that someone is drenched, overwhelmed, or very wet, although the standard use is literal. Compared with "damp," it is considerably stronger; compared with "drenched," it often works more naturally as an adjective before a noun, as in "a sopping coat." The word is understood throughout the English-speaking world and has a vivid, slightly emphatic tone.
adjectiveSoaking wet; very wet, especially from being immersed in or covered with liquid.
- Soaking wet; very wet.
- Extremely wet, as a result of immersion or heavy exposure to liquid.
"She returned from the rain with her coat sopping wet."
"The dog came in from the storm sopping and shook water across the room."
"His socks were sopping after he stepped through the flooded path."
If you are sopping, you are not merely damp—you are wet enough to soak through everything you are wearing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sopping come from?
The word is closely related to the older English verb "sop," meaning to dip bread in liquid or to absorb liquid. Its present participle, with the suffix "-ing," came to describe a person or thing that was thoroughly wet. The older sense of "sop" also connects with the noun meaning liquid food or a mixture used for dipping, which is reflected in related words such as "soppy" and "sopful."
Related word forms
How sopping is actually used
Usually used predicatively, as in "sopping wet," rather than as a stand-alone noun. It is more vivid and emphatic than simply "wet."
Easily confused with sopping
Sopping means soaking wet, whereas soaping means covered or lathered with soap.