outcrop

1 of 2

noun

out·​crop ˈau̇t-ˌkräp How to pronounce outcrop (audio)
1
: a coming out of bedrock or of an unconsolidated deposit to the surface of the ground
2
: the part of a rock formation that appears at the surface of the ground

outcrop

2 of 2

verb

out·​crop ˈau̇t-ˌkräp How to pronounce outcrop (audio)
ˌau̇t-ˈkräp
outcropped; outcropping; outcrops

intransitive verb

1
: to project from the surrounding soil
ledges outcropping from the eroded slope
2
: to come to the surface : appear

Examples of outcrop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Hidden within the hill, in an outcrop of rock, was a group of fossils nearly 280 million years in the making. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 30 Nov. 2023 The cephalopods were found near a small outcrop of rock called El Dorado Hill. 1:11 Scientists have discovered at least four new species of octopus in the deep waters of a 100-square-mile area near Costa Rica, officials from the Schmidt Ocean Institute said on Tuesday. Jon Haworth, ABC News, 17 Jan. 2024 Dutton and her colleagues performed the same careful analysis for each part of the outcrop. Frank Hulley-Jones, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023 The animal found inside the outcrop averaged about a meter (about 3 feet) in length with a long snout and tail and thin rows of delicate teeth. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 30 Nov. 2023 Still standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking the River of Fleet estuary, the McCulloch stronghold was built in the 1400s. Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Sep. 2023 The boat slows to a stop as percussionist Pius Cheung appears, standing on a sandstone outcrop overhead. Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Sep. 2023 Starting every December, around 10 to 12 mostly Norwegian and Chinese vessels brave the rough seas whipping across the tip of South America to descend upon the South Orkney Islands, a desolate chain of rocky outcrops. Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023 And in 2021 the Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail opened to flocks of cyclists, skirting the lake via dramatic platforms clipped to granite outcrops and running conveniently past the region's storied wineries. Petrina Darrah, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2023
Verb
Because it is situated on a limestone outcropping on the ridge of a tectonic plate, the soil contains ancient seabeds and a rich combination of minerals. Patricia Cohen Violette Franchi, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2023 The reefs that outcropped in Johannesburg extend deep underground, making up part of the Witwatersrand basin, a geological formation that stretches in an arc two hundred and fifty miles long. Kimon De Greef, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023 This exclusive, discrete resort (no photos allowed) consists of a series of bungalows set around a private lagoon, whose waters are protected from the waves by a rock outcropping dotted with deluxe beach chairs. Shannon Sims, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2020 While the iron boat badly deteriorated badly over the century it's been exposed to the elements, the scow has remained tightly fixed to a rock outcropping since August 1918. Jeanne Bonner, CNN, 2 Nov. 2019 Magnetic anomalies abounded in the ancient natural world, where a lightning strike on a rock outcropping was much more likely than today. David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 6 Aug. 2019 On the evening of January 28, 1918, fifteen unarmed men and boys were rounded up and roped together by Texas Rangers and local ranchers, then led to a rock outcropping in the desert and shot dead. Steve Anderson, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2019 In Topanga State Park, hike up to Eagle Rock—a massive sandstone outcropping nearly 2,000 feet above sea level—for panoramic views. Rico Gagliano, WSJ, 1 Aug. 2018 But here Bidwell starts to feel wilder, as the Maidu and Middle and Upper Trails branch off into the foothills and toward the rock outcropping known as Monkey Face, and other trails dip into the dense riparian growth along Big Chico Creek. Peter Fish, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outcrop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

out entry 1 + crop entry 2, after crop out "to protrude from the ground"

Note: See the note at crop entry 2 regarding geological senses of the verb.

Verb

derivative of outcrop entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outcrop was in 1805

Dictionary Entries Near outcrop

Cite this Entry

“Outcrop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outcrop. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

outcrop

1 of 2 noun
out·​crop ˈau̇t-ˌkräp How to pronounce outcrop (audio)
1
: a coming out of bedrock to the surface of the ground
2
: the part of a rock formation that appears at the surface of the ground

outcrop

2 of 2 verb
out·​crop ˈau̇t-ˌkräp How to pronounce outcrop (audio)
(ˈ)au̇t-ˈkräp
outcropped; outcropping
: to come to the surface : appear
granite outcropping through softer rocks

More from Merriam-Webster on outcrop

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