a vertical or very steep descent.
The trail has a drop-off of several hundred feet.
a decline; decrease.
Sales have shown a considerable drop-off this year.
a place where a person or thing can be left, received, accommodated, etc..
a new drop-off for outpatients.
(intr) to grow smaller or less; decline
(tr) to allow to alight; set down
informal (intr) to fall asleep
a steep or vertical descent
a sharp decrease
Fall asleep, as in When I looked at Grandma, she had dropped off . [Early 1800s]
Decrease; also, become less frequent. For example, Sales have dropped off markedly , or Over the year her visits dropped off . [Early 1800s]
Deliver, unload, as in Bill dropped off the package at the office .
Die, as in He is so ill he could drop off any time . [Early 1800s]
First recorded in 1955–60; noun, adj. use of verb phrase drop off
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Other numbers in Friday’s report show the drop-off on audits of corporations, as well.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
As the voters deliver their ballots to neighborhood drop-off sites and others wait to vote in person Tuesday, Times reporters fanned out across the city to ask residents whom they planned to support for mayor.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
That study also suggested a possible way forward: Students who used a version of ChatGPT instructed not to give answers and fed with problems from teachers saw almost no drop-off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Edinburgh Airport is to increase drop-off fees by £2.50 to £8.50 from next week, it has announced.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
“Are your parents divorced? I’ve never seen him at drop-off or anything.”
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
