WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
drop-in
(drop′in′),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
- Informal TermsAlso, dropper-in. a person who or thing that pays an unexpected or uninvited visit:a feeder for squirrels, raccoons, and other drop-ins.
- Informal Termsa social gathering at which the guests are not expected to stay long:Be sure to stop by our house for a glass of eggnog at our Christmas drop-in.
adj.
- provided for short-term patronage:a drop-in shelter for the homeless.
- requiring only insertion to be ready for use:a drop-in film cartridge.
- noun, nominal, adjective, adjectival use of verb, verbal phrase drop in 1810–20
'drop in' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
blast wave
- break
- bucket
- bust
- cold wave
- demographic timebomb
- depressant
- drop
- drop-in
- dropper-in
- flash point
- internal resistance
- lap
- lapse
- letter drop
- liable
- neck
- percent sign
- point-blank
- selectance
- stalagmometer
- toxic shock syndrome
- troposphere
- tumble
- ungodly
- wait
- walloping
- water power
- way