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crop
/krɒp/
harvested plant product
The farmer harvested a large crop of wheat this year.
The farmer collected a big amount of wheat plants ready for sale.
agriculture
A plant or plant product that is grown and harvested by farmers.
Corn is a major crop in the Midwest.
Corn is an important agricultural product grown in the Midwest region.
Often used in plural (crops) when referring to multiple types or batches.
agriculture
The amount of a plant product harvested at one time.
The wheat crop was smaller than expected due to drought.
The amount of wheat harvested was less than anticipated because of dry weather.
informal
To cut short or trim (hair, grass, etc.).
She cropped her hair short for the summer.
She cut her hair very short for the summer season.
informal
A group of people or things appearing suddenly or being dealt with at the same time.
A new crop of students arrived at the university.
A new group of students started their studies at the university.
Collocations
crop rotationthe practice of growing different crops in the same area across seasonscrop yieldthe amount of a crop produced per unit areacrop dustingspraying crops with pesticides from an aircraft
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Distinguish crop vs. harvest
'Crop' refers to the plants themselves or the product, while 'harvest' refers to the process of gathering them. Example: 'The corn crop was ready for harvest.'
Gold Rule
Pluralization
Use 'crops' for multiple types or batches (e.g., 'The farm grows several crops'). Use 'crop' for a single batch or type (e.g., 'This year's wheat crop was good').
Word Origin
From Old English 'cropp' meaning 'harvest, grain gathered from a field,' related to Old Norse 'kroppr' (sprout, tuber) and Middle Dutch 'crap' (harvest). The verb sense 'to cut short' emerged in the 16th century.
Usage Notes
As a noun, 'crop' is countable (a crop, crops). As a verb, it is transitive (to crop hair) or intransitive in agricultural contexts (the plants cropped well this year). The verb sense is informal when referring to hair.
Word Breakdown
crop
harvested plant product
rootEnglish Dictionary