US /kɑp/ UK /kɒp/
verb noun Freq #1019

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A police officer.

    A cop pulled us over for driving too fast.

  2. 2
    verb

    To get, buy, or take hold of something.

    He stepped out to cop a newspaper and some coffee.

  3. 3
    verb

    To admit to something, especially a crime or mistake.

    He finally copped to taking the money.

Thesaurus

Word family
Forms coppedcoppingcops
Derived forms cop-outcoplandcopoutcoppercopple

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English *coppen, *copen, from Old English copian (“to plunder; pillage; steal”); or possibly from Middle French caper (“to capture”), from Latin capiō (“to seize, grasp”); or possibly from Dutch kapen (“to seize, hijack”), from Old Frisian kāpia (“to buy”), whence West Frisian keapje, Saterland Frisian koopje, North Frisian koopi, kuupe. Compare also Middle English copen (“to buy”), from Middle Dutch copen.

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