1 C1 neutral
(Geology) Of rock or a mineral seam: to appear at or above the surface of the ground.
"Limestone crops out along the entire eastern ridge of the valley."
inseparable
crop out
B2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To appear at the surface of the ground, or to remove an unwanted part from the edge of a photograph or image.
In plain English
When rock appears through the ground, or when you cut the sides off a photo to remove something.
What does "crop out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 neutral
(Photography/image editing) To remove an unwanted person or element from the edges of a photograph or image.
"She cropped out her ex-boyfriend before posting the holiday photo online."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
For the geology sense, 'crop' relates to appearing above ground; 'out' indicates emerging outward. For photography, removing something outward from the frame.
Actually means
When rock appears through the ground, or when you cut the sides off a photo to remove something.
Usage tip
Used in two main contexts: geology (rock strata appearing at the surface) and photography/image editing (removing the edges of a photo). The photography sense has become increasingly common in the digital age.
Words that pair with "crop out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
rock seam photo image background figure
How to conjugate "crop out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
crop out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
crops out
he/she/it
Past simple
croped out
yesterday
Past participle
croped out
have + pp
-ing form
croping out
continuous
Hear "crop out" in the wild
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Other ways to say "crop out"
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Keep exploring
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