Word.ws English Dictionary

dropped anchor

dropped anchor is the simple past and past participle of drop anchor.

Meaning of drop anchor

Verb

drop anchor (third-person singular simple present drops anchor, present participle dropping anchor, simple past and past participle dropped anchor)

  1. To release the anchor of a ship or boat, allowing it to fall to the bed of a body of water and thereby securing the vessel in place.
    Synonyms:
    cast anchor
    Antonyms:
    weigh anchor
  2. To stop travelling and settle down.
    • […] had emigrated first to one country, then to another, till he finally dropped anchor in London.1895, Allen Upward, The Prince of Balkistan, page 237
  3. (euphemistic) To defecate.
    • Junkyard Dog always stopped for lengthy bathroom breaks by announcing his intentions in advance, using a different euphemism every time, saying, to name a few, "I have to: drop anchor... do some paperwork... lay some foundation... pinch a loaf... lighten my load...."2005, John Illig, Pacific Dream, →ISBN, page 204

Questions about dropped anchor

What is dropped anchor the simple past and past participle of?
Dropped anchor is the simple past and past participle of drop anchor.

Words near dropped anchor in the dictionary

  1. dropped a dime
  2. dropped a dime on someone
  3. dropped a hint
  4. dropped a log
  5. dropped acid
  6. dropped anchor
  7. dropped astern
  8. dropped away
  9. dropped back
  10. dropped behind
  11. dropped by

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: dropped anchor (page history and authors); drop anchor (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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