1 B2 informal
To absorb a liquid, especially sauce or gravy, with bread or a similarly absorbent material.
"He tore off a chunk of bread and used it to sop up the rich tomato sauce."
separable
sop up
B2 informal separable transitive
To absorb or collect a liquid by pressing a piece of bread, cloth, or other absorbent material into it.
In plain English
To use bread or a cloth to soak up a liquid, like sauce or a spill.
What does "sop up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 neutral
To absorb or clear up a liquid spillage using an absorbent cloth or material.
"She grabbed a tea towel to sop up the water that had spilled on the counter."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
A 'sop' is a piece of bread used to absorb liquid — fully transparent in food contexts.
Actually means
To use bread or a cloth to soak up a liquid, like sauce or a spill.
Usage tip
Most commonly used for soaking up sauces or gravy with bread. Less commonly used for spills. The word 'sop' comes from bread dipped in liquid. Common in food and cooking contexts.
Words that pair with "sop up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
gravy sauce bread spill liquid juices
How to conjugate "sop up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
sop up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sops up
he/she/it
Past simple
soped up
yesterday
Past participle
soped up
have + pp
-ing form
soping up
continuous
Hear "sop up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "sop up"
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