stoop

1 of 3

verb

stooped; stooping; stoops

intransitive verb

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
2
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

transitive verb

1
2
: to bend (a part of the body) forward and downward

stoop

2 of 3

noun (1)

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

stoop

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a porch, platform, entrance stairway, or small veranda at a house door

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
Verb
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 Vance is stooping to a new low in sucking up to Donald Trump. Edith Olmsted, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2023
Noun
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 Inside, the rooms feel wide thanks to his decision to get rid of a stoop and instead pull the staircase into the windowless center, so windowed rooms at the front and back stretch the full width. Curbed, 26 Jan. 2024 Thankfully, her magic worked and did wonders for the family's household, as the couple shared a photo from their front stoop that appeared to show a swarm of locals crowded around their porch to collect their Halloween haul. EW.com, 1 Nov. 2023 Melton stoops and, for most of the film, smiles like a love robot. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 On the back stoop, officers found Gentry with burns and a gunshot wound. Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Feb. 2024 Peregrines have been timed in stoops, or steep dives, at speeds of 200 miles per hour, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Paul Smith, Journal Sentinel, 28 Jan. 2024 In this shot, Giddish, who is making a return for season 25, sits on a stoop with Ice- T and Molly Burnett, who plays Detective Grace Muncy. 04 of 18 Out of Office Also included in the roundup was a causal shot with costar and onscreen love interest, Peter Scanavino. Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 10 Jan. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English stoupen, from Old English stūpian; akin to Swedish stupa to fall, plunge, Old English stēap steep, deep

Noun (2)

Dutch stoep; akin to Old English stæpe step — more at step

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1755, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stoop was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near stoop

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

stoop

1 of 3 verb
1
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 noun
1
: 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"

More from Merriam-Webster on stoop

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