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lop off

B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

You chop something off with one big cut, like cutting a branch off a tree.

Literal meaning: To cut something off so it falls away.

Meanings

1 B2 neutral

To cut off a branch, limb, or protrusion with a heavy blow or cut.

"He lopped off the lower branches to let more light reach the garden."

Grammar: separable
2 B2 idiomatic neutral

(Figurative) To remove a significant portion from a price, budget, or amount.

"The new deal lopped £500 off the price of the car."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 informal

(Informal) To cut off a body part, typically in a dramatic or violent context.

"According to the legend, the knight lopped off the giant's head in a single blow."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Often used in gardening (cutting branches) or more dramatically for body parts. The figurative sense — removing part of something like a price or text — is also common, especially in journalism.

Commonly used with

branch head arm price budget section

Forms

Base
lop off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
lops off
he/she/it
Past simple
loped off
yesterday
Past participle
loped off
have + pp
-ing form
loping off
continuous

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Synonyms

chop off cut off hack off sever remove trim off

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