WordGarden.iocrop
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /krˈɒp/
US
- /ˈkrɑp/
Meanings
Noun
plants grown and harvested for food or other use
a group or batch that appears at the same time
a short haircut or closely cut hair
More meaningsFewer meanings
a food-storage pouch in a bird or insect
Verb
to cut something short or trim off part of it
to cut away the edges of an image or document
Beyond the definition
Think of golden fields stretching as far as the eye can see—that's the classic image of a "crop." But this word isn't just for farmers. While it most often refers to plants grown for food or sale (or to the amount collected from them), it can also describe the act of trimming something down. You might "crop" a digital photo to focus on a specific detail or "crop" your hair for a fresh, short style. A successful season leads to a plentiful yield, often called a "bumper crop," while unexpected news or problems might "crop up" when you least expect them.
The word "crop" has a history as rich as fertile soil. One older meaning is the "crop" in a bird’s throat—a pouch used for storing food. Over time, the word grew into the diverse term we use today. Most commonly, it refers to plants grown for food or commercial value—think corn, rice, or fruit. A "crop yield" is the measure of a farmer's success, representing the total amount gathered after a season of careful tending.
However, "crop" is equally at home in a digital studio or a hair salon. As a verb, it means to cut off or trim part of something (or, for animals, to bite off plants as they eat). We "crop" images to improve their composition and "crop" hair into short, chic styles. In the world of horse riding, a "crop" is a short, flexible whip. The word even finds its way into our daily challenges through the phrasal verb "to crop up," which describes issues or ideas that emerge unexpectedly. Whether you are admiring a bountiful harvest, editing a photograph, or dealing with a surprise problem, "crop" can point to what is grown and collected—or to the act of cutting something down to size. It is a linguistic multi-tool, rooted in the earth but perfectly adapted for the modern world.
Examples
- 1
Farm loss
Heavy rain destroyed much of the rice crop this year.
- 2
Cash crop
Coffee is one of the country’s most important cash crops.
- Phrasecash crop
a plant grown to be sold for money
- 3
Garden harvest
We got a good crop of tomatoes from the garden this summer.
- 4
New group
A new crop of young designers is changing the fashion industry.
- Phrasea new crop of
a new group of the same kind of people or things
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Photo editing
I cropped the photo so you could see our faces better.
- 6
Haircut
His hair was cropped very short.
- 7
Unexpected problems
A few technical problems cropped up during the meeting.
- Phrasecrop up
appear or happen unexpectedly
See also
Similar
- cultivated plant
Contrast
- wild plant
- harvest
Used with (collocations)
- grow crops
- cash crop
- food crop
- crop rotation
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- cropnounverb
Forms
- cropspluralnounverb
- croppedpast tenseverbnoun
- cropping-ing formverbnoun