mope

1 of 2

verb

ˈmōp 

moped; moping

intransitive verb

1

: to give oneself up to brooding : become listless or dejected

I was feeling depressed and just moped around all day.

2

: to move slowly or aimlessly : dawdle

the little woman does mope along in traffic

—Paul Jones

3

archaic : to act in a dazed or stupid manner

moper noun

mopey

ˈmō-pē 

adjective

mope

2 of 2

noun

1

: one that mopes

2

mopes plural : blues sense 1

Synonyms

Verb

• crawl
• creep
• dally
• dawdle
• delay
• diddle
• dillydally
• drag
• lag
• linger
• loiter
• lollygag
• lallygag
• poke
• shilly-shally
• tarry

Noun

• blue devils
• blues
• dejection
• depression
• desolation
• despond
• despondence
• despondency
• disconsolateness
• dispiritedness
• doldrums
• dolefulness
• downheartedness
• dreariness
• dumps
• forlornness
• gloom
• gloominess
• glumness
• heartsickness
• joylessness
• melancholy
• miserableness
• mournfulness
• oppression
• sadness
• sorrowfulness
• unhappiness

Examples of mope in a Sentence

Verb

Like a little child, he often moped when he didn't get what he wanted.

we were in a rush, and the Sunday driver in front of us was just moping along

Noun

he's got the mopes because his girlfriend is mad at him

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Her council is still yapping at her, and her most powerful allies are moping and staring off into the middle distance. —Brian Grubb, Vulture, 14 July 2024

My Mexican hillbilly family never had time to whine and mope. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024

Noun

Rather than sit around and mope, the future queen and some girlfriends went on vacation to the Spanish island of Ibiza. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024

The Boys retreat to a bar to drink away their battle wounds, where Hughie mopes about failing to neutralize the assassin while Annie placates a fan who forces a selfie with her. —Alex Raiman, EW.com, 11 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

probably from obsolete mop, mope fool

First Known Use

Verb

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mope

1 of 2 verb

ˈmōp 

moped; moping

1

: to be in a dull and gloomy state

2

: to move slowly and aimlessly : dawdle

moper noun

mope

2 of 2 noun

1

: a person who lacks energy or enthusiasm

2

plural : low spirits : blues

a fit of the mopes