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scoop (skp)
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n.
1.
a. A shovellike utensil, usually having a deep curved dish and a short handle: a flour scoop.
b. A thick-handled cuplike utensil for dispensing balls of ice cream or other semisoft food, often having a sweeping band in the cup that is levered by the thumb to free the contents.
c. A ladle; a dipper.
d. An implement for bailing water from a boat.
e. A narrow, spoon-shaped instrument for surgical extraction in cavities or cysts.
f. A bucket or shovel of a dredge, backhoe, or other digging machine.
g. The amount that any of these utensils, implements, or containers can hold: ate two scoops of ice cream.
2. A scooping movement or action: made a nice scoop to catch the ball.
3. Informal
a. An exclusive news story acquired by luck or initiative before a competitor.
b. Current information or details: What's the scoop on the new neighbors?
4. A rounded, usually low-cut neckline, as on a blouse or dress. Also called scoop neck, scoop neckline.
5. A hollow area; a cavity.
6. An opening, as on the body of a motor vehicle, by which a fluid is directed inward: "The [sports car] has ... enough scoops and spoilers to get you a citation just standing still" (Mark Weinstein).
tr.v. scooped, scoop·ing, scoops
1. To take up and often reposition with a scoop: scooped popcorn into a bag.
2. To hollow out by digging.
3. To pick up, gather, or collect swiftly and smoothly: scoop up a handful of jelly beans.
4. Informal To top or outmaneuver (a competitor) in acquiring and publishing an important news story.
[Middle English scope, from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German schōpe, bucket for bailing water.]
scooper n.
scoopful′ n.
(click for a larger image)
scoop
left to right: flour and ice-cream scoops
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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