cop1 nouncop2 verb
copcop1 /kɒp $ kɑːp/ ●●○ noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINcop1
Origin:
1800-1900 copper ‘police officer’ (19-21 centuries), from ➔ COP2 ‘to arrest’ (19-20 centuries)EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a motorcycle cop
- There are more criminals out there than cops to chase them.
- Holly Hunter is a San Francisco cop on the trail of a killer.
- I was a cop, once.
- If he's a skilled boardroom apparatchik, they say he's not much cop as a coach.
- It stars Erik Estrada, who first became famous as part of the gay motorcycle cop tandem on CHiPS.
- Nasty cop, nice cop: they were following procedure to the letter.
- Retired railroad cop and not a bad fellow for a cop.
- She knew the cops wouldn't just fine her.
- Somehow, the charm of seeing city streets swarm with uneducated, unemployable and unsupervised children is lost on the cops.
THESAURUSpeople in the police
(also officer) a member of the police. In British English, police officer is used especially in more formal contexts, for example in news reports. In everyday English, British people still usually say policeman or policewoman: · a senior police officer· He was sentenced to life in prison for killing a police officer.· He is the officer in charge of the case.· Officer Fayard (=in the US ‘Officer’ is used in the title of police officers)
a man who is a member of the police: · an off-duty policeman· He’s a former policeman.
a woman who is a member of the police: · The girl, accompanied by a policewoman and two social workers, was seen in private by Sheriff George Crozier.
abbreviation used in the job titles of British police officers. PC means ‘Police Constable’ and WPC means ‘Woman Police Constable’: · PC Keith Fletcher· WPC Susan Larkin
a police officer whose job is to discover who is responsible for crimes: · Detectives are investigating the death of a baby boy.· Detective Inspector John Hartwell
adjective a plain-clothes police officer wears ordinary clothes instead of a uniform: · Two plain-clothes police officers, acting as hotel security men, kept watch on him.
a British police officer of the lowest rank: · a police constable· Constable Robin Cameron
a senior police officer who is in charge of the police in a particular area in Britain: · the chief constable of North Yorkshire police
informal a police officer: · You’d better call the cops.
a US police officer in a state police force: · a New Jersey state trooper
WORD SETSagent, nounbaton, nounbeat, nounbobby, nounbody armour, nounbody search, nounbook, verbchief constable, nounchief inspector, nounchief superintendent, nounCID, the, commander, nouncommissioner, nouncomposite, nounconstable, nounconstabulary, nouncop, nouncopper, nouncop shop, nouncruiser, noundetective, noundragnet, nounFBI, the, flying squad, nounFraud Squad, nounfrisk, verbgendarme, nounguard dog, nounhighway patrol, nounhomicide, nouninformant, nouninspector, nounInterpol, nouninvestigation, nounlaw enforcement agent, nounlawman, nounmanor, nounMetropolitan Police, the, MI5, nounmissing person, nounMountie, nounmugshot, nounnab, verbnail, verbnarc, nounnark, nounnick, verbnightstick, nounofficer, nounoperation, nounpaddy wagon, nounPanda car, nounpatrol, nounpatrol car, nounpatrolman, nounpig, nounplain-clothes, adjectiveplastic bullet, nounpolice constable, nounpolice department, nounpolice dog, nounpolice force, nounpoliceman, nounpolice officer, nounpolice station, nounpolicewoman, nounprecinct, nounquell, verbquestion, verbradar trap, nounraid, nounraid, verbrank, nounrap sheet, nounriot police, nounroadblock, nounScotland Yard, search warrant, nounsheriff, nounshield, nounsnout, nounspecial agent, nounSpecial Branch, nounspecial constable, nounsquad, nounsquad car, nounstate trooper, nounstation house, nounstore detective, nounsupergrass, nounsuperintendent, nountraffic cop, nountrooper, nountruncheon, nounwarrant, nounwater cannon, nounWPC, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
undercover detectivesCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
(=about the police)· 'The Bill' is a popular police drama.
undercover detectives· You know the good cop, bad cop thing?· It was a good cop / bad cop routine.· I got bad cop, bad cop.· Holmgren played bad cop to the hilt.· I got bad cop, bad cop.· Others have gone free because their prosecutors relied on junk science, jailhouse snitches or bad cops.· This meeting, he realized, was part of some kind of good cop, bad cop balancing act Giuliani was encouraging.
· A strong likelihood of being fitted up by corrupt cops or being casually blasted out of existence by some one's assault rifle?
· It's a fair cop - honest, officer!· Do you want me to say that it's a fair cop or something?· And criminals are warned that from then, they won't even have time to tell police it's a fair cop.
· You know the good cop, bad cop thing?· It was a good cop / bad cop routine.· This meeting, he realized, was part of some kind of good cop, bad cop balancing act Giuliani was encouraging.
· It wasn't likely that it was connected to the local cop shop.· John Navarro, the local cop who tries to put the pieces together after Nelson disappears.· If they were real, there'd be no local cops in Emmerdale.· However, in New Hamsphire the time granted is up to the local cop who pulls you over.
· She plans his trips, is the tough cop with him and his medicine and generally seems to brighten his life.
· But it's great fun watching these little monsters give undercover cop Arnie the run-around.· People dived aside as undercover cops ambushed a post office raid.
NOUN· He crossed the street, carrying the book bag by its drawstrings, heading for the parked cop car.· The cop cars that cruised by irritated him.· A cop car was already parked there.
· Cop shop: Police have opened their own cop shop at Darlington police station to sell personal attack alarms and security devices.· Phil, the square's resident bad egg, retrieved the battered lad from the cop shop.· It wasn't likely that it was connected to the local cop shop.· They've got her at Macclesfield cop shop.
· On cop shows, for instance, there's always a new case coming in, he said.
· Sasha says he donates about 100 roubles, or $ 3.50, a day to the traffic cops.· Silicon Valley also is playing a major role in policing the Internet jam, like a traffic cop in downtown San Francisco.· Tell that to Huseyin Ertan, a retired naval officer who is the Bosporus's chief traffic cop.· As the reader might expect, I had my hands full acting like a traffic cop.
VERB· I got Kevin to call in the cops, but they apparently couldn't find anything.· Two nights ago, they called the cops, man.· Another resident had complained, the two women got into a fight and Clarisa called the cops.· And then the Boss would have to call the cops.· He is so friendly, in fact, I want to call the cops.· If he does, if he practices any philosophical trespass around here, I will call the cops.
· When he discovers what's happened, he's forced to kill the cop as well.· No one would expect him to enter a city where he had been arrested for killing a cop.
· He was playing a cop in Colors.· Patsy Kensit plays a clairvoyant cop who sees in her mind bits and pieces of crimes before they are committed.· Holmgren played bad cop to the hilt.· The part of Reality is played by the cops and robbers, whose job it is to keep each other in business.· The two play New York subway cops who also are foster brothers.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► not be much copPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► suicide by cop
1informal a police officer: - And criminals are warned that from then, they won't even have time to tell police it's a fair cop.
- Do you want me to say that it's a fair cop or something?
- It's a fair cop - honest, officer!
- And criminals are warned that from then, they won't even have time to tell police it's a fair cop.
- Do you want me to say that it's a fair cop or something?
- It's a fair cop - honest, officer!
the local cop a narcotics cop He pulled out his badge and said he was a cop.2not be much cop British English informal to not be very good: They say he’s not much cop as a coach.3it’s a fair cop British English spoken used humorously when someone has discovered that you have done something wrong and you want to admit itcop1 nouncop2 verb
copcop2 verb (past tense and past participle copped, present participle copping) [transitive] spoken informal WORD ORIGINcop2
Origin:
1700-1800 Perhaps from Dutch kapen ‘to steal’, from Frisian kapia ‘to take away’VERB TABLE
cop
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | cop |
| he, she, it | cops | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | copped |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have copped |
| he, she, it | has copped | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had copped |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will cop |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have copped |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am copping |
| he, she, it | is copping | |
| you, we, they | are copping | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was copping |
| you, we, they | were copping | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been copping |
| he, she, it | has been copping | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been copping |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be copping |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been copping |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Linda Vernon copped the grand prize this year with her new novel.
- As it was, I copped out just a little.
- I hope the others have been copped by the attendants.
- Mr Coffee will cop to the situation by engaging only the five basic universal appliance functions that every school child will know.
- With its packages yet to hit the street, Clarify figures its technology will cop the leadership position.
- You know, even with the beard and glasses they still copped the face in Caracas.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES undercover detectivesCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
(=about the police)· 'The Bill' is a popular police drama.
undercover detectives· As it was, I copped out just a little.· I only hat, e another year here and then I cop out!
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► cop a buzz► cop hold of something► cop an attitude► cop a feelPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► suicide by cop
1cop it British English a)to be punished or spoken to angrily because you have done something wrong: - Duckett copped a plea to avoid going to jail.
- Thought I was copping a plea on ... diminished responsibility.
- It's me who cops it if the Sarge finds us.
- The place is full of the aroma of Spot-Knee, the ram lamb who recently copped it after a blissful organic life.
- The Ulsters have copped it up there.
- And criminals are warned that from then, they won't even have time to tell police it's a fair cop.
- Do you want me to say that it's a fair cop or something?
- It's a fair cop - honest, officer!
You’ll cop it when Mum finds out! b)to be killed2British English to receive something, especially something that you do not want: I copped all the blame for what happened.3cop hold of something British English used to tell someone to hold something: Cop hold of the other end, will you?4cop an attitude American English to behave in a way that is not nice, especially by showing that you think you are better or more intelligent than other people5cop a feel American English to touch someone in a sexual way when they do not want you to6cop a plea American English to agree to say you are guilty of a crime in order to receive a less severe punishment: Dunn copped a plea to avoid going to jail.7cop a buzz American English to feel the effects of taking illegal drugs or drinking alcoholcop off phrasal verb British English informal to meet someone and start a sexual relationship with themcop off with The hero eventually cops off with the princess.cop out phrasal verb informal to not do something that someone thinks you should do: As far as I’m concerned, she’s copped out and joined the rat race. → cop-out