as in bribes
something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision
as a sop to the teachers' union for supporting his reelection campaign, the mayor promised to push for the abolition of the residency requirement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in soaks
to wet thoroughly with liquid
sopped the sponge with the detergent and began scrubbing the floor vigorously
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wets
to make wet
my book fell in the swimming pool and was thoroughly sopped before I could fish it out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dips
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid
hesitant to sop his bread in gravy, no matter how delicious, at such a formal banquet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sops
Noun
-
The 20-month sentence imposed on Kim was a surprise after independent counsel Min Joong-ki called for a 15-year prison term on three charges, including stock price manipulation, political funding law violations and accepting bribes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026 -
The court found Kim guilty of accepting bribes from the controversial religious sect Unification Church, including a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Remove rust with steel wool, vinegar soaks, baking soda paste, or coarse salt scrubs.—
Emily Benda Gaylord,
The Spruce,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Long soaks and extreme heat damage wood by swelling and drying it unevenly, making spoons more likely to crack and split.—
Bridget Shirvell,
Martha Stewart,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Sweat that can’t escape wets a jacket’s layer of insulation and accelerates heat loss.—
Longji Cui,
The Conversation,
26 Dec. 2025
-
But the comedy is absolutely something that wets my beak, I'm drawn to it.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Unlike hunting for coupons or waiting for a sale at other stores, Costco’s pricing on Boursin tends to stay reliably the same throughout the year—and sometimes the price even dips cheaper.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Nguyen notes that flat bench presses are effective for building your middle chest, incline presses emphasize the upper chest, and decline presses and dips target the lower chest muscle fibers.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sixty years later, the Spectacle saturates us in ways the Situationists never imagined.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This gives your poinsettia a long, deep drink that saturates the roots without drowning them.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
First into his life comes Jessie involved in a shipwreck with her uncle, a past colleague of Mason’s, who drowns in a vicious storm and almost takes Jessie down with him before she is heroically rescued from near death by Mason, who brings her out of the drink and then back to life.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
-
What should be a fast minimum viable product (MVP) becomes a bloated prototype that delays launch and drowns out real user feedback.—
Renae Gregoire,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Throughout Friday, temperatures are expected to fall as rain drenches the area.—
Lauren Caruba,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The campers swim in the animosity that drenches the airwaves and cyberspaces around them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Simply hold the brush in place, and sit back as the machine thoroughly washes and dries your bristles within thirty seconds.—
Taryn Brooke,
Glamour,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Neither washes his hands in the kitchen.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
20 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Sops.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sops. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
