Loop

/luːp/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A length of thread, line or rope that is doubled over to make an opening.
  • Grammar: loop is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: iteration, air hole, ambit, annular muscle.
  • Useful contrasts: end, exit, stop.
  • Usage evidence: This cold has knocked me for a loop.

How to use "loop"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "loop" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "loop" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "loop" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "loop" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "loop" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "iteration" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "loop", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A length of thread, line or rope that is doubled over to make an opening.
  2. 2
    Acronym of loss of offsite power. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
  3. 3
    a flight maneuver; aircraft flies a complete circle in the vertical plane wordnet
  4. 4
    The opening so formed.
  5. 5
    a complete electrical circuit around which current flows or a signal circulates wordnet
Show 26 more definitions
  1. 6
    A shape produced by a curve that bends around and crosses itself.

    "Arches, loops, and whorls are patterns found in fingerprints."

  2. 7
    fastener consisting of a metal ring for lining a small hole to permit the attachment of cords or lines wordnet
  3. 8
    A ring road or beltway.
  4. 9
    an intrauterine device in the shape of a loop wordnet
  5. 10
    An endless strip of tape or film allowing continuous repetition.

    "He can hang out in the back room of the local adult bookstore […] and hope for a stand-up blow-job through the glory hole in the partition of the two booths that show gay loops."

  6. 11
    the topology of a network whose components are serially connected in such a way that the last component is connected to the first component wordnet
  7. 12
    A complete circuit for an electric current.
  8. 13
    a computer program that performs a series of instructions repeatedly until some specified condition is satisfied wordnet
  9. 14
    A programmed sequence of instructions that is repeated until or while a particular condition is satisfied.
  10. 15
    the basic pattern of the human fingerprint wordnet
  11. 16
    An edge that begins and ends on the same vertex.
  12. 17
    an inner circle of advisors (especially under President Reagan) wordnet
  13. 18
    A path that starts and ends at the same point.
  14. 19
    (computer science) a single execution of a set of instructions that are to be repeated wordnet
  15. 20
    A bus or rail route, walking route, etc. that starts and ends at the same point.
  16. 21
    anything with a round or oval shape (formed by a curve that is closed and does not intersect itself) wordnet
  17. 22
    A place at a terminus where trains or trams can turn round and go back the other way without having to reverse; a balloon loop, turning loop, or reversing loop.

    "In 1908 the line was extended to a station called Wood Lane, which was built on a terminal track loop so that trains could turn round and go back the other way, [...]"

  18. 23
    A passing loop.

    "Basingstoke-Exeter will test this. From Salisbury westwards, it's largely single-track since British Rail downgraded it in 1967. There's a ten-mile loop between Templecombe and Yeovil, as well as shorter loops at Chard, Axminster and Honiton."

  19. 24
    A quasigroup with an identity element.
  20. 25
    A loop-shaped intrauterine device.
  21. 26
    An aerobatic maneuver in which an aircraft flies a circular path in a vertical plane.
  22. 27
    A small, narrow opening; a loophole.

    "And stop all sight-holes, every loop from whence / The eye of Reason may pry in upon us."

  23. 28
    Alternative form of loup (“mass of iron”). alt-of, alternative
  24. 29
    A flexible region in a protein's secondary structure.
  25. 30
    A sports league Canada, US, dated

    "Arellano formerly cavorted for the Galicias in the fast-paced National-American Soccer loop."

  26. 31
    The curved path of the ball bowled by a spin bowler.
Verb
  1. 1
    To form something into a loop. transitive
  2. 2
    fasten or join with a loop wordnet
  3. 3
    To fasten or encircle something with a loop. transitive
  4. 4
    wind around something in coils or loops wordnet
  5. 5
    To fly an aircraft in a loop. transitive
Show 12 more definitions
  1. 6
    make a loop in wordnet
  2. 7
    To move something in a loop. transitive
  3. 8
    fly loops, perform a loop wordnet
  4. 9
    To play something (such as a song or video) in a loop. transitive
  5. 10
    move in loops wordnet
  6. 11
    To join electrical components to complete a circuit. transitive
  7. 12
    To duplicate the route of a pipeline. transitive
  8. 13
    To create an error in a computer program so that it runs in an endless loop and the computer freezes up. transitive
  9. 14
    To form a loop. intransitive
  10. 15
    To move in a loop. intransitive

    "The program loops until the user presses a key."

  11. 16
    To place in a loop.

    "It found that trains often looped on their journey emit 14% to 20% more NOx and particulates than non-stop services."

  12. 17
    To have the teacher progress through multiple school years with the same students. ambitransitive

    "Tolland Middle School in Connecticut where close to four hundred middle school students participated in looping, students from looped classroom structures scored much higher than students from prior years without the looped structure on standardized tests in mathematics and writing."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
  2. 2
    The City Loop. informal, singular

    "Does this train go through the Loop?"

Synonyms

All synonyms
iterationair holeambitannular muscleannuletannulus

Antonyms

endexitstopstraight line

Example

"This cold has knocked me for a loop."

Common questions

What does "loop" mean?

A length of thread, line or rope that is doubled over to make an opening.

What is a synonym for "loop"?

Common synonyms include: iteration, air hole, ambit, annular muscle, annulet, annulus.

How do you use "loop" in a sentence?

This cold has knocked me for a loop.

How do you pronounce "loop"?

Pronounced /luːp/.

Etymology

From Middle English loupe (“noose, loop”), earlier lowp-knot (“loop-knot”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse hlaup (“a run”), used in the sense of a "running knot", from hlaupa (“to leap”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną (“to leap, run”). Compare Swedish löp-knut (“loop-knot”), Danish løb-knude (“a running knot”), Danish løb (“a course”). More at leap. The verb is derived from the noun.

More for "loop"

Synonyms

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