plural cops
informal
: police officer
They called the cops to report a robbery.
As he awaits trial, the retired cop is on the other side of the law.—
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson… the department invests in officers and their futures by providing training that makes them better cops.—Laura Lane
Laura Lane
copped; copping
3
: adopt sense 2
cop an attitude
slang
: admit sense 2b
—used with to
these small-timers would … cop to the smallest offense their attorney could negotiate—Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
plural cops
1
copper
2
copulative
3
copy
4
copyright
Examples of cop in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a cop stopped her for speeding
Verb
I managed to cop an invitation.
He copped the idea from me.
They expected me to cop all the blame!
He copped the full force of the blow.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Brooks is a grumpy NYPD detective trying to track down the mom, while Higgins is Brooks’ cop partner.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 22 Sep. 2025
Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 10 Sep. 2025
Melbourne copped more lockdowns than any other city in the nation.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cop
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Noun
Elsewhere in Milwaukee, someone has blown up a truck belonging to a small-time booze runner, and Hicks learns that the cops plan to pin the job on him.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Brooks is a grumpy NYPD detective trying to track down the mom, while Higgins is Brooks’ cop partner.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
While Pop Mart is most shoppers’ go-to for copping these doll toys, the latest and greatest in the Labubu universe is that Walmart now sells them, thanks to its partnership with online marketplace and clothing reseller StockX.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 10 Sep. 2025
Melbourne copped more lockdowns than any other city in the nation.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cop
Cite this Entry
“Cop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cop. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cop
1 of 2 verb
copped; copping
1
slang
: to get hold of : capture entry 2 sense 1a
2
slang
: steal entry 1 sense 2a
3
: adopt sense 2
cop an attitude
Etymology
Verb
probably from Dutch kapen "to steal"
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