drop off — 3 meanings

One phrase, 3 meanings. Learn them one at a time, then test yourself.

phrasal verb3 meanings

drop off

take and leave

fall asleep

decrease

Meaning 1 · most common

take and leave

drop sb/sth off sth)

A scene showing “drop off” meaning “take someone somewhere and leave them”.

To take someone or something to a place and leave them there, usually by car.

How oftenVery common

LevelB1

Used inMostly spoken

Examples

Could you drop me off at the train station on your way to work?

A: Are you driving past the library?
B: Yeah, I can drop you off if you want.

Common mistake

Not: Can you drop off me at the corner?

Say: Can you drop me off at the corner?

With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'drop me off'.

More on “take and leave”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

In my hometown, parents usually drop off their children at school before going to work.

Tell it apart

Drop me off at the station.

take and leave me there

Pick me up at the station.

come and get me

Goes with

drop + person + off

Practice saying this

Next meaning: fall asleep

Meaning 2

fall asleep

informal

To fall asleep, especially without meaning to.

How oftenCommon

LevelB2

Used inMostly spoken

Examples

I was so tired that I dropped off in front of the TV last night.

A: Did you hear the end of the movie?
B: No, I dropped off halfway through.

Common mistake

Not: I was so tired I dropped ~~off myself.~~

Say: I was so tired I just dropped off.

'Drop off' (fall asleep) is intransitive — no object or reflexive.

More on “fall asleep”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

Sometimes, after a long day at university, I drop off as soon as I sit on the sofa.

Tell it apart

I dropped off during the meeting.

fell asleep

I dropped the report off at the office.

delivered it

Goes with

drop off (asleep)

Practice saying this

Next meaning: decrease

Meaning 3

decrease

To become less in amount, level, or number.

How oftenCommon

LevelB2

Used inSpeech & writing

Examples

Sales usually drop off after the holiday season.

A: How's your workload this month?
B: It dropped off a lot after the big project finished.

Common mistake

Not: Attendance dropped off ~~down~~ after summer.

Say: Attendance dropped off after summer.

'Drop off' already means decrease — don't add 'down'.

More on “decrease”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

According to the chart, the number of visitors drops off sharply in the winter months.

Tell it apart

Visitor numbers dropped off in winter.

decreased

I dropped the kids off at school.

took and left them

Goes with

drop off + metric

Practice saying this

Test yourself: which one is it?

Spot the meaning

Which one is it?

Read the sentence, then pick the meaning that's in play.

Turn this into speaking practice

Pick a meaning and say it out loud. Save the ones you mix up.

take and leave fall asleep decrease