loop
/luːp/ (bre, ipa) · /luːp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlüp/ (ame, mw)
loop — noun
- loopsingular
- loopsplural
1. a shape that curves around until the two ends come close to or cross each other,
a shape that curves around until the two ends come close to or cross each other, like the curve you get when a long thin object such as string or ribbon bends nearly back onto itself.
Paloma tied the rope into a neat loop before hanging the laundry.
form a loop — creating the shape from a long object
The road ahead formed a wide loop around the old oak tree.
A loop of red ribbon hung from the gift box beside the birthday card.
The stream made a small loop through the meadow before continuing downhill.
用法筆記
Often used with prepositions like 'of' or 'in' to describe the material or location of the curve, e.g. 'a loop of wire' or 'a loop in the road'.
2. a length of string, ribbon, wire, or similar thin material that has been folded
a length of string, ribbon, wire, or similar thin material that has been folded into a curved or circular form, serving purposes such as fastening objects together or adding ornamental detail.
Lakshmi pulled the loop of thread tight against the fabric button.
loop of thread for sewing
The climber checked each loop of the rope before starting his ascent.
Jason fastened the sail to the boom with a loop of sturdy cord.
A small loop of wire held the broken handle in place.
Dewi threaded a loop of green ribbon through the greeting card.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (CURVED SHAPE): sense 2 refers to the physical piece of material itself that has been shaped, not just the abstract shape.
3. a flight manoeuvre where an aircraft flies in a complete vertical circle, first
a flight manoeuvre where an aircraft flies in a complete vertical circle, first climbing straight up, turning upside-down at the top, and then coming back down in the same curved path.
The pilot performed a perfect loop above the airfield during the opening show.
During the air show, three jets flew loops in tight formation.
Noa watched the small plane climb high and then drop into a loop.
The flight instructor taught the student how to execute a loop safely.
- roll
an aircraft rotation around its lengthwise axis, not a vertical circle
- barrel roll
a combination of a roll and a loop, forming a spiral path
用法筆記
Subject is typically a pilot or aircraft. Common in the context of air shows and flight training. Often used in the phrase 'fly a loop' or 'do a loop'.
4. a skating motion in which the athlete traces a rounded path on the ice while bal
a skating motion in which the athlete traces a rounded path on the ice while balanced on a single blade, changing direction in a smooth arc.
Zuri practiced a backward loop on the ice every morning.
backward loop — a specific skating move
The skater completed a clean loop before gliding into her final pose.
Dewi's coach said her loop was too wide and needed tighter form.
During the national championships, Yael's well-timed loop added grace to her skating routine.
用法筆記
This is a technical term in figure skating. The loop is one of the basic turns and also the name of a specific jump (loop jump) where the skater takes off from a backward outside edge.
5. a short recorded section of music that is played over and over again, forming th
a short recorded section of music that is played over and over again, forming the repeating backbone of a song or track.
Aylin recorded a guitar riff and set it on a loop for the chorus.
set on a loop — to repeat continuously
The song's drum loop repeated every four bars throughout the verse.
drum loop — a repeating drum pattern
Reuben used a short piano loop as the main melody of his track.
The producer added a bass loop to give the song a steady rhythm.
用法筆記
Common in electronic music, hip-hop, and pop production. Often used with 'on a loop' (set to repeat) or as a compound noun: 'drum loop', 'guitar loop', 'bass loop'.
6. a programming construct that makes the computer carry out the same batch of comm
a programming construct that makes the computer carry out the same batch of commands repeatedly, stopping only when a specified state is reached.
Liang wrote a loop that counts from one to one hundred.
The program got stuck in an infinite loop and stopped responding.
infinite loop — a loop that never ends
Each loop checked whether the user's input matched the password.
Christopher used a for loop to process all the files in the folder.
The program's while-loop kept running until every student's test score had been recorded.
用法筆記
Common types include 'for loop' (repeat a fixed number of times), 'while loop' (repeat as long as a condition is true), and 'infinite loop' (a bug where the termination condition is never reached).
常見錯誤
7. a playback mode in which an entire video, audio recording, or film restarts auto
a playback mode in which an entire video, audio recording, or film restarts automatically each time it finishes, rather than stopping at the end.
The airport security video runs on a loop twenty-four hours a day.
runs on a loop — plays continuously without stopping
Chiara put the children's songs on a loop so the kids could sing along.
The museum played the documentary on a loop in a small side room.
A loop of elevator music accompanied the long wait for the lift.
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the phrase 'on a loop' or 'in a loop'. The word 'loop' itself refers to the continuous cycle of playback. Common with video, audio recordings, and timed presentations.
8. a small, exclusive group of people who are informed about or involved in importa
a small, exclusive group of people who are informed about or involved in important decisions or secret information, often within an organisation or political context.
Only the loop of senior advisors knew about the merger plan.
Sven was not part of the decision loop for the new project.
part of the loop — included in the informed group
Sensitive information stays within a tight loop of top executives at the firm.
The journalist tried to get inside the loop of campaign strategists.
- clique
a small exclusive group; often more negative, suggesting exclusion by choice
- inner circle
the closest group of people around a leader; more formal than 'loop'
- outsider
a person who is not part of the group
用法筆記
Often appears in the phrase 'in the loop' (included and informed) or 'out of the loop' (excluded from information). This is the only noun sense used idiomatically with 'in/out of' to indicate inclusion in a communication circle.
常見錯誤
loop — verb
- looppresent simple I / you / we / they
- loops3rd person singular
- looping-ing form
- loopedpast simple
1. to bend or shape something long and thin into a curved or circular form, or to m
to bend or shape something long and thin into a curved or circular form, or to move in such a curving path.
Paloma looped the ribbon around her finger and tied a bow.
loop + object + adverbial — shaping and wrapping
The path loops around the lake before reaching the picnic area.
James looped the cable neatly and stored it in the toolbox.
The river loops through the valley and heads toward the coast.
Reuben looped the scarf twice around his neck to keep warm.
- straighten
to make something straight instead of curved
文法句型
loop + object (e.g. loop the rope)
loop + adverbial (e.g. loop around the tree)
用法筆記
Transitive when the subject shapes an object (e.g. 'she looped the string'). Intransitive when the subject itself moves in a looping path (e.g. 'the road loops around the hill').
2. to configure a brief audio recording so that it cycles continuously, providing a
to configure a brief audio recording so that it cycles continuously, providing a repeating musical foundation within a composition.
The drummer looped the beat so the band could improvise over it.
looped the beat — repeating a drum pattern
Zola looped a piano melody throughout the entire track to create the song's rhythm.
The software lets you loop any section of audio with one click.
Rania looped the chorus to create a hypnotic effect in the song.
文法句型
loop + object (e.g. loop a sample)
be looped (passive, e.g. the beat is looped)
用法筆記
Common in music production contexts. The object is typically a recorded sound: a beat, melody, riff, or sample. Frequently used in the passive voice: 'The guitar part was looped throughout the verse.'