dropper

IPA/ˈdrɒpə(r)/
KK[drˈɑpɚ]IPA/ˈdrɑːpər/

dropper — noun

  • droppersingular
  • droppersplural

1. a narrow tube of glass or plastic with a soft rubber top; when the top is squeez

1.nounB1
Definition

a narrow tube of glass or plastic with a soft rubber top; when the top is squeezed and released, liquid is pulled upward inside the tube, and gently pressing it again makes the liquid come out in single drops

Example

Mei-Lin used a dropper to put three drops of ear medicine into her daughter's ear.

use a dropper: common action pattern

The pharmacist handed me a small bottle with a dropper and told me to take ten drops before bed.

Common collocations
  • use a dropper
  • fill a dropper
  • squeeze a dropper
  • dropper bottle
  • glass dropper
  • plastic dropper
Synonyms
  • pipette

    more precise term used in scientific laboratories; a dropper for everyday use is a simpler type

  • eye dropper

    specifically refers to a dropper designed for putting liquid into the eye

  • medicine dropper

    emphasises the medical purpose rather than the general tool

Grammar Patterns

use a dropper

dropper + full/bottle/of liquid

Usage Note

Countable noun. Often used in medical or laboratory contexts. The verb pair is 'fill a dropper' (draw liquid in) and 'release/squeeze a dropper' (let liquid out). The object of the action is typically medicine, oil, or a chemical solution.

Common Mistakes

I used a dropper for to put oil in the lamp.
I used a dropper to put oil in the lamp.
use 'to + infinitive' after 'use something', not 'for to'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A dropper is the everyday name for a narrow tube with a rubber bulb used to handle small amounts of liquid by the drop. A pipette is the more formal laboratory version — typically thinner and used for precise measurement in chemistry or biology, while a dropper is usually simpler and found in home medicine cabinets. An eye dropper is a dropper designed specifically for eye drops, with a shorter, finer tip. A medicine dropper is the same tool but described by its purpose rather than its shape. A syringe differs from all of these because it uses a plunger rather than a rubber bulb and is mainly used for injections or very exact liquid volumes. For daily use — such as giving a child liquid medicine or adding essential oil to a diffuser — the word 'dropper' is the most natural choice.

pipette ↗eye droppermedicine droppersyringe ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • drop by drop
  • one drop at a time

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English by adding the agent suffix '-er' to the verb 'drop', which comes from Old English 'droppian' (to fall in drops). The word 'dropper' first appeared in the 1700s as a general term for something that drops, then became the name for the medical tool in the 1800s.