Crops
/krɒps/
Definitions
3 meaningsPlants cultivated for food or other products, considered as a group or in relation to their harvest.
/krɒps/
Plants grown for food or other products.
The farmer carefully planted and tended to his crops.
💡 Simply: Imagine a field filled with yummy corn, tasty wheat, or other foods we eat! Crops are all the plants farmers grow to give us food and other useful things.
👶 For kids: The yummy plants that farmers grow for food!
More Examples
Drought severely damaged the corn crops this year.
Farmers are worried about the impact of pests on their potato crops.
How It's Used
"The farmer harvested his wheat crops in the fall."
"Good crop yields lead to increased market value of commodities."
A group of people or things of a similar kind.
/krɒps/
A collection of items.
A crop of talented young musicians emerged from the local music school.
💡 Simply: It can also mean a bunch of things, like a crop of new ideas, a crop of talented people, or something similar.
👶 For kids: A bunch of something.
More Examples
The new CEO hopes to foster a crop of innovative ideas.
How It's Used
"She has a crop of new ideas for the project."
To cut or trim the edges of something, often to improve its appearance or remove unwanted parts.
/krɒps/
To cut or trim something.
I cropped the image to focus on the subject.
💡 Simply: When you *crop* something, you're like a digital or plant barber! You're cutting off the edges or parts you don't want, making it fit better or look cleaner. Think about cropping a photo to make your friend look less like they have a tree growing out of their head.
👶 For kids: To cut off part of something.
More Examples
The gardener cropped the rose bushes to promote growth.
How It's Used
"I cropped the image to remove the unnecessary background."
"The farmer will crop the plants to help them grow faster."
From Middle English croppe, from Old English cropp (top of a plant, harvest), related to Middle Dutch croppe (head of a plant).
The word has been used to refer to harvested plants since the 14th century. The verb form became common in the 18th century.
Memory tip
Think of the harvest you get after planting and tending to the field.