stooped; stooping; stoops
1
a
: to bend the body or a part of the body forward and downward sometimes simultaneously bending the knees
b
: to stand or walk with a forward inclination of the head, body, or shoulders
3
a
: to descend from a superior rank, dignity, or status
b
: to lower oneself morally
stooped to lying
4
a
archaic
: to move down from a height : alight
b
: to fly or dive down swiftly usually to attack prey
1
a
: an act of bending the body forward
b
: a temporary or habitual forward bend of the back and shoulders
2
: the descent of a bird especially on its prey
3
: a lowering of oneself
: a porch, platform, entrance stairway, or small veranda at a house door
Synonyms
Examples of stoop in a Sentence
Verb
She stooped down to hug the child.
He had to stoop to pick it up.
He tends to stoop as he walks.
He really did that? I didn't think he could stoop so low.
Recent Examples on the Web
Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
However, Leipzig finally got the goal its efforts deserved just three minutes later as Willi Orbán stooped to head home David Raum’s low cross.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
While made famous in basketball—Dominique Wilkins won the NBA dunk contest wearing the shoes in 1990 and Dee Brown famously stooped down to pump his shoes before his winning dunk during the 1991 iteration of the event—Chang gave the Reebok Pump its own tennis moment during the 1990 French Open.
—Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
So why not vote for, campaign for, his alternative if your goal is to stoop Trump?
—Nbc Universal, NBC News, 11 Feb. 2024
The second was a stooping header in the second half which really should have been a goal.
—Ben Church, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024
Even the ever-deplorable Cersei would never stoop so low.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Feb. 2024
Most brides never see the volunteer army that spends hours stooped over bushes and reaching into thorny climbers, cutting away all the spent blooms and dead leaves in the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Josh O’Connor’s Prince Charles was tormented and stooped, awkward and sad and sometimes cruel, whereas Dominick West’s, a far less complex creature, was warm and urbane.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2024
Amazon could not have become a retail behemoth unless Americans trusted each other not to steal cardboard boxes from each other’s stoops and front doors.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024
Kahan’s visit to the home of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch follows Mean Girls star Reneé Rapp posting about meeting Elmo on the Sesame Street stoop last week.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
Beyond the classic stoop, the parlor floor includes a wet bar and powder room between a street-facing formal dining room and a lofted living room that overlooks a two-story family room on the garden level.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024
South-facing windows oriented to the sun allow the studio to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and drapes outside the front door can be closed for further privacy if anyone wants to sit in the patio chair on the tiny stoop.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
To me, Black Twitter is the hang out in the quad in college or the stoop in your neighborhood.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Its name plays off of A Great Day in Harlem, the classic 1958 Art Kane black-and-white photograph for Esquire that featured more than 50 jazz musicians seated on and surrounding a brownstone stoop.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2024
As the Inglewood jazz band, Katalyst, performed on a nearby stoop, guests mingled with drinks in hand before transitioning indoors for dinner.
—Rachel Besser, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2024
Verb
Luca stoops down again but pops back up into the standing position without ever leaving the ground.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
However, Leipzig finally got the goal its efforts deserved just three minutes later as Willi Orbán stooped to head home David Raum’s low cross.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
While made famous in basketball—Dominique Wilkins won the NBA dunk contest wearing the shoes in 1990 and Dee Brown famously stooped down to pump his shoes before his winning dunk during the 1991 iteration of the event—Chang gave the Reebok Pump its own tennis moment during the 1990 French Open.
—Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
So why not vote for, campaign for, his alternative if your goal is to stoop Trump?
—Nbc Universal, NBC News, 11 Feb. 2024
The second was a stooping header in the second half which really should have been a goal.
—Ben Church, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024
Even the ever-deplorable Cersei would never stoop so low.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Feb. 2024
Most brides never see the volunteer army that spends hours stooped over bushes and reaching into thorny climbers, cutting away all the spent blooms and dead leaves in the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Josh O’Connor’s Prince Charles was tormented and stooped, awkward and sad and sometimes cruel, whereas Dominick West’s, a far less complex creature, was warm and urbane.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023
Noun
Ksenia Sereda’s intimate shots of men gathering on a stoop while listening to the radio and passing around beers paint a picture of a vibrant community.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2024
Amazon could not have become a retail behemoth unless Americans trusted each other not to steal cardboard boxes from each other’s stoops and front doors.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024
Kahan’s visit to the home of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch follows Mean Girls star Reneé Rapp posting about meeting Elmo on the Sesame Street stoop last week.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
Beyond the classic stoop, the parlor floor includes a wet bar and powder room between a street-facing formal dining room and a lofted living room that overlooks a two-story family room on the garden level.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024
South-facing windows oriented to the sun allow the studio to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and drapes outside the front door can be closed for further privacy if anyone wants to sit in the patio chair on the tiny stoop.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
To me, Black Twitter is the hang out in the quad in college or the stoop in your neighborhood.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Its name plays off of A Great Day in Harlem, the classic 1958 Art Kane black-and-white photograph for Esquire that featured more than 50 jazz musicians seated on and surrounding a brownstone stoop.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2024
As the Inglewood jazz band, Katalyst, performed on a nearby stoop, guests mingled with drinks in hand before transitioning indoors for dinner.
—Rachel Besser, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stoop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stoop
Cite this Entry
“Stoop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stoop. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stoop
1 of 3 verb1
a
: to bend down or over
b
: to stand or walk with the head and shoulders or the upper part of the body bent forward
2
: to degrade oneself
stoop to lying
stoop
2 of 3 noun1
: an act of bending the body forward
2
: a forward bend of the back and shoulders that is temporary or by habit
stoop
3 of 3 noun
: a porch, platform, or entrance stairway at a house door
Etymology
Verb
Old English stūpian "to stoop, bend over"
Noun
from Dutch stoep "porch, stoop"
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