Crop — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈkräp/

Meaning & Definition of Crop

Crop (noun)

  1. a pouched enlargement of the esophagus of many birds that serves as a receptacle for food and for its preliminary maceration; also, an enlargement of the digestive tract of another animal (such as an insect)
  2. a plant or animal or plant or animal product that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence
  3. the total yearly production from a specified area

Crop (verb)

  1. to remove the upper or outer parts of
  2. harvest
  3. to cut off short, trim

Crop (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the quantity of an animal or vegetable product gathered at the end of a season

    "the wheat crop is going to be exceptionally large this year"

    similar: harvest
    related: return, yield, cut, cutting

  2. a usually small number of persons considered as a unit

    "the school's latest crop of graduates is its most academically gifted so far"

    similar: array, band, batch, battery, body, boodle, bunch, cluster, clutch, consort, constellation, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, parcel, party, passel, the whole kit and caboodle
    related: assembly, collective, congregation, gathering, muster, organization, circle, clan, clique, coterie, fellowship, gang, ring, round, set, faction, guild, order, school, sect, brigade, crew, outfit, phalanx, platoon, posse, task force, team, alliance, bloc, coalition, confederacy, confederation, federation, league, union, battalion, squadron, bevy, brood, covey
    near: individual, single

Crop (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care

    "a family that's been cropping potatoes on that piece of land for generations"

    similar: cultivate, culture, dress, grow, promote, raise, rear, tend
    related: breed, produce, propagate, plant, sow, gather, glean, harvest, reap, germinate, quicken, ripen, root, sprout
    near: kill, dig, extirpate, pick, pluck, pull (up), uproot, cut, hay, mow

  2. to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument

    "grass cropped short by repeated grazing"

    "cropped the painting to fit the frame"

    similar: bob, clip, cut, cut back, dock, lop (off), nip, pare, poll, prune, shave, shear, snip, trim
    related: skive, whittle, manicure, mow, pinch, stump, curtail, shorten
    near: elongate, extend, lengthen

Related Entry: Crop (up) (verb)

Crop (up) is a different word from Crop. The synonyms below are for crop (up), not for crop.

  1. to come to one's attention especially gradually or unexpectedly

    "a new issue has just cropped up in the campaign"

    similar: arise, come up, emerge, materialize, spring (up), surface
    related: appear, come out, show up, turn up, chance, come, come about, fall out, go (on), go off, hap, happen, occur, pass, transpire, interfere, interpose, intervene, intrude

Related Entry: Cream of the crop (phrase)

Cream of the crop is a different word from Crop. The synonyms below are for cream of the crop, not for crop.

  1. individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class

    "He was certain that the judges would recognize his show rabbit as the cream of the crop."

    similar: A-list, aristocracy, best, choice, corps d'elite, cream, crème de la crème, elect, elite, fat, flower, illuminati, pick, pink, pride, priesthood, prime, royalty, upper crust, Hall of Fame
    related: establishment, gentry, nobility, quality, society, top, top drawer, upper class, caviar, who's who
    near: commoners, herd, hoi polloi, masses, millions, mob, multitude, rank and file, unwashed

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Crop

The most common words with a similar meaning to Crop:

harvest, array, band, batch, battery, body, boodle, bunch, cluster, clutch, consort, constellation, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, parcel, party, passel, the whole kit and caboodle, cultivate, culture, dress, grow, promote, raise, rear, tend, bob, clip, cut, cut back, dock, lop (off), nip, pare, poll, prune, shave

Related Words for Crop

return, yield, cutting, assembly, collective, congregation, gathering, muster, organization, circle, clan, clique, coterie, fellowship, gang, ring, round, set, faction, guild, order, school, sect, brigade, crew, outfit, phalanx, platoon, posse, task force

Near Antonyms of Crop

individual, single, kill, dig, extirpate, pick, pluck, pull (up), uproot, cut, hay, mow, elongate, extend, lengthen

Word Forms of Crop

Inflections: cropped, cropping

Origin & Etymology of Crop

(senses 1-3) Middle English crop, crope, croppe "crop of a bird, portion of an herb above the root, sprig, bud, crown of a tree, harvest of a plant, tip or top of something," going back to Old English crop "crop of a bird, sprout, shoot, bunch or cluster (of fruit, seeds), umbel" (also croppa, weak noun, only in sense "bunch, cluster"), going back to Germanic *kruppa- "something rounded, bulge," (whence also Old Saxon kripp "crop of a bird," Middle Dutch crop "gnarl, goiter, gullet, body, corpse, blister, bud," Old High German kropf "protuberance, goiter, crop of a bird," Old Icelandic kroppr "swelling on the body, crop of a bird" [Icelandic & Faroese kroppur "body"]), of expressive origin; (sense 4) derivatives of crop:2

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Crop

Words & Phrases Containing Crop

crop circle, crop duster, crop-eared, crop rotation, crop top, crop up, cash crop, cover crop

Frequently Asked Questions about Crop

What does "Crop" mean?

"Crop" means a pouched enlargement of the esophagus of many birds that serves as a receptacle for food and for its preliminary maceration; also, an enlargement of the digestive tract of another animal (such as an insect). As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a pouched enlargement of the esophagus of many birds that serves as a receptacle for food and for its preliminary maceration; also, an enlargement of the digestive tract of another animal (such as an insect). It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Crop"?

Other words for "Crop" include harvest, array, band, batch, battery, body, boodle and bunch. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Crop" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Crop"?

There are 108 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Crop". Common alternatives include harvest, array, band, batch, battery, body, boodle, bunch, cluster and clutch.

How do you use "Crop" in a sentence?

Examples of "Crop" in a sentence: "the wheat crop is going to be exceptionally large this year"; "the school's latest crop of graduates is its most academically gifted so far"; "a family that's been cropping potatoes on that piece of land for generations".

Is "Crop" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Crop" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Crop" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Crop" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Crop"?

"Crop" is pronounced /ˈkräp/.

What is the origin of the word "Crop"?

"Crop" comes from (senses 1-3) Middle English crop, crope, croppe "crop of a bird, portion of an herb above the root, sprig, bud, crown of a tree, harvest of a plant, tip or top of something," going back to Old English crop "crop of a bird, sprout, shoot, bunch or cluster (of fruit, seeds), umbel" (also croppa, weak noun, only in sense "bunch, cluster"), going back to Germanic *kruppa- "something rounded, bulge," (whence also Old Saxon kripp "crop of a bird," Middle Dutch crop "gnarl, goiter, gullet, body, corpse, blister, bud," Old High German kropf "protuberance, goiter, crop of a bird," Old Icelandic kroppr "swelling on the body, crop of a bird" [Icelandic & Faroese kroppur "body"]), of expressive origin; (sense 4) derivatives of crop:2. First known use: before 12th century.