stoop.
A stooping, bent position of the body.
Meaning & usage
A stooping, bent position of the body.
The old man walked with a stoop.
An accelerated descent in flight, as that for an attack.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English stoupen, from Old English stūpian (“to bow, bend”), from Proto-West Germanic *stūpōn, from Proto-Germanic *stūpōną, *stūpijaną (“to stand out”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, butt, knock”). Compare steep. Cognate with Dutch stuipen (“to bend the upper part of the body forward and downward”), Old Norse stúpa (“to stoop”). Related also to Old Frisian stēpa (“to help”), Old Norse steypa (“to cause to stoop, cast down, overthrow”).
To bend the upper part of the body forward and downward to a half-squatting position; crouch.
He stooped to tie his shoe-laces.
To lower oneself; to demean oneself in doing something below one's status, standards, or morals.
Can you believe that a salesman would stoop so low as to hide his customers' car keys until they agreed to the purchase?
Of a bird of prey: to swoop down on its prey.
To cause to incline downward; to slant.
to stoop a cask of liquor
To cause to submit; to prostrate.
To yield; to submit; to bend, as by compulsion; to assume a position of humility or subjection.
To descend from rank or dignity; to condescend.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English stoupen, from Old English stūpian (“to bow, bend”), from Proto-West Germanic *stūpōn, from Proto-Germanic *stūpōną, *stūpijaną (“to stand out”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, butt, knock”). Compare steep. Cognate with Dutch stuipen (“to bend the upper part of the body forward and downward”), Old Norse stúpa (“to stoop”). Related also to Old Frisian stēpa (“to help”), Old Norse steypa (“to cause to stoop, cast down, overthrow”).
A vessel for holding liquids; like a flagon but without the spout.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English stope, stoupe, from Old Norse staup (“dip, well, cup”), from Proto-Germanic *staupą, related to the verb *staupijaną (“to steep”). Related to Old English stēap (“drinking vessel, cup, flagon, stoop”).
The staircase and landing or porch leading to the entrance of a residence.
The threshold of a doorway; a doorstep.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Dutch stoep (“platform", "pavement”). Doublet of stoep. Cognate with step.
A post or pillar, especially a gatepost or a support in a mine.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English stoupe, stulpe, from Old Norse stólpi (“post, pillar”), from Proto-Germanic *stulpô.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.