sop

1 of 3

noun

ˈsäp 

1

chiefly dialectal : a piece of food dipped or steeped in a liquid

2

: a conciliatory or propitiatory bribe, gift, or gesture

sop

2 of 3

verb

sopped; sopping

transitive verb

1

a

: to steep or dip in or as if in liquid

b

: to wet thoroughly : soak

2

: mop sense 1

SOP

3 of 3

abbreviation

standard operating procedure; standing operating procedure

Synonyms

Noun

• backhander [British]
• boodle
• bribe
• cumshaw
• fix

Verb

• drench
• drown
• impregnate
• macerate
• saturate
• soak
• sodden
• souse
• steep

Examples of sop in a Sentence

Noun

as a sop to the teachers' union for supporting his reelection campaign, the mayor promised to push for the abolition of the residency requirement

Verb

sopped the sponge with the detergent and began scrubbing the floor vigorously

my book fell in the swimming pool and was thoroughly sopped before I could fish it out

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But these are just MacGuffins: sops to the Beltway superfans. —Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024

Some Republicans are portraying the continuation of subsidies as a sop to health insurers. —Peter Sullivan, Axios, 14 Aug. 2024

Verb

Here was a player listed at 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds — and, to be clear, Reichard isn’t anywhere near 187 pounds sopping wet — flexing atop a much larger returner. —Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 2 Aug. 2024

Keith sees that the cockpit floor is sopping wet since Emma just rinsed it in her last hour. —Emma Soren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English soppe, from Old English sopp; akin to Old English sūpan to swallow — more at sup

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sop

• sop up

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Kids Definition

sop

1 of 2 noun

ˈsäp 

1

chiefly dialect : a piece of food dipped or soaked in a liquid (as bread dipped in milk or gravy)

2

: a bribe or gift for soothing or winning approval

sop

2 of 2 verb

sopped; sopping

1

a

: to soak or dip in or as if in liquid

b

: to wet thoroughly

2

: to mop or soak up

sopping up gravy with bread