loop
1 Americannoun
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a portion of a cord, ribbon, etc., folded or doubled upon itself so as to leave an opening between the parts.
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anything shaped more or less like a closed curve, as a line drawn on paper, a part of a letter or other symbol, a part of a path, or a line of motion.
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a curved piece or a ring of metal, wood, or the like, used for the insertion of something, as a handle, etc.
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Aeronautics. a maneuver executed by an airplane in such a manner that the airplane describes a closed curve in a vertical plane.
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a circular area at the end of a trolley line, railroad line, etc., where cars turn around.
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an arm of a cloverleaf where traffic may turn off or onto a main road or highway.
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Physics. the part of a vibrating string, column of air or other medium, etc., between two adjacent nodes.
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Electricity. a closed electric or magnetic circuit.
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Computers. the reiteration of a set of instructions in a routine or program.
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a wire, usually of platinum, one end of which is curved to form a loop, used for transferring microorganisms from one medium to another.
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a sandbar that encloses or nearly encloses a body of water.
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Figure Skating. a school figure in which a skater traces a large half circle, a small oval within its arc, and another large half circle to complete the figure while remaining on the same skating edge.
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the Loop, the main business district of Chicago.
verb (used with object)
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loops,
present (3rd person singular)
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looped,
past participle, past
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looping
present participle
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to form into a loop.
The first step is to loop the rope into a circle about the size of a dinner plate.
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to make a loop in.
Sometimes the hose gets looped in such a way as to inadvertently make a knot.
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to enfold or encircle in or with something arranged in a loop.
I’m always looping my finger in with the yarn when I’m winding it into a ball.
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to fasten by forming into a loop, or by means of something formed into a loop (often followed byup ).
to loop up the new draperies.
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to cause (a missile or projectile) to trace a looping or looplike trajectory through the air.
to loop a grenade into the building.
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to fly (an airplane) in a loop or series of loops.
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to connect (conductors) in the shape of a loop within a closed electric or magnetic circuit.
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Movies. to complete by recording dialogue, sound effects, etc., onto an existing film track or soundtrack.
We still have to loop the final scenes.
verb (used without object)
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loops,
present (3rd person singular)
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looped,
past participle, past
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looping
present participle
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to make or form a loop.
The river loops around the two counties.
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to move by forming loops, as an inchworm does.
The little green caterpillar looping along the leaf’s edge is the larva of a geometrid moth.
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to trace a looping or looplike path through the air.
The fly ball looped high in the air.
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to perform a loop or series of loops in an airplane.
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Movies. to record dialogue, sound effects, etc., onto an existing film track or soundtrack.
idioms
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in the loop, among those who receive the latest information about something.
If it’s anything pertaining to his test results, please keep me in the loop.
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out of the loop, excluded from those who receive the latest information about something.
She’s often out of the loop on policy decisions.
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throw / knock for a loop, to astonish or upset.
Her quitting the project really threw me for a loop.
noun
noun
noun
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the round or oval shape formed by a line, string, etc, that curves around to cross itself
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any round or oval-shaped thing that is closed or nearly closed
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a piece of material, such as string, curved round and fastened to form a ring or handle for carrying by
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an intrauterine contraceptive device in the shape of a loop
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electronics
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a closed electric or magnetic circuit through which a signal can circulate
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short for loop aerial
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a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft flies one complete circle in the vertical plane
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Also called: loop line. a railway branch line which leaves the main line and rejoins it after a short distance
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maths physics a closed curve on a graph
hysteresis loop
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another name for antinode
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anatomy
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computing a series of instructions in a program, performed repeatedly until some specified condition is satisfied
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skating a jump in which the skater takes off from a back outside edge, makes one, two, or three turns in the air, and lands on the same back outside edge
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a group of people to whom information is circulated (esp in the phrases in or out of the loop )
verb
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(tr) to make a loop in or of (a line, string, etc)
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(tr) to fasten or encircle with a loop or something like a loop
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Also: loop the loop. to cause (an aircraft) to perform a loop or (of an aircraft) to perform a loop
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(intr) to move in loops or in a path like a loop
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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loopsimple
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loopssimple
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have loopedperfect
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has loopedperfect
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am loopingprogressive
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are loopingprogressive
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is loopingprogressive
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have been loopingperfect progressive
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has been loopingperfect progressive
Past
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loopedsimple
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had loopedperfect
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was loopingprogressive
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were loopingprogressive
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had been loopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of loop1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loupe “loop of cloth,” of uncertain origin; probably from Middle Irish, Old Irish lúb “bend, fold, loop”; perhaps akin to leap ( def. )
Origin of loop2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loupe, loup “loophole”; compare Middle Dutch lūpen “lie in wait, peep, peer”
Origin of loop3
First recorded in 1665–75; from French loupe, special use of loupe “wen, knob, gnarl,” ultimately from Germanic; see loupe
Explanation
A loop is a roundish, coiled shape, like the shape a piece of string or rope makes when it crosses itself. To start knitting, you need to put a loop of yarn on the end of one of your needles. Loops are ovals or circles and are often made from rope or other fibers, like the loop at the end of a cowboy's lasso. The verb loop means to form the shape of a loop in the sky; or to make a loop from string or some other material. If something "throws you for a loop," it catches you by surprise, and if you're "in the loop," you have access to information that others might not have.
Vocabulary lists containing loop
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And then I do the classic loop all the way up to the observatory and down the other side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Technology, though, has improved rapidly in this area and more modern facilities use a closed loop of water, similar to that in domestic central heating systems.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
In a way, all this has been building for a decade in a closed loop of X, podcast and Substack discussions, albeit a closed loop involving millions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The system combines several machine learning models in a repeating control loop that operates much faster than a person could.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
“When you do,” Caesar instructs, “put your hands inside the loop and hold the horn. It might save you.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Social media has many users trapped in nostalgia loops, desperately clinging to a simpler era that wasn’t so uniquely mired in digital discontent.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
"I'm just trying to view myself as a manager, and I'm managing some people, and I'm also managing AI agents, or AI loops, or whatever you want to call it."
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Five-Pocket Tote has classic denim details such as belt loops, shank buttons and bar tack stitching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Then, I start with loops around the edges and work my way in,” he continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
She cuts off a little strip and I have to hold Manchee’s head down while she loops it around the mess of his tail.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
Humeau's work examines the history of the earth and imagined future worlds via sculptures that include references to specific natural species and are accompanied by a looped cycle of light and sound.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
“The customer was just providing details when her husband came forward and grabbed the mobile phone started argument and cut the call,” a worker had scrawled in looped letters on a preprinted form.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Because it’s looped into your Google account, it can hunt for old emails and documents in a way that traditional search cannot.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2026
It has the feel of a soothingly looped AI screen saver, a trance-inducing spell where nothing matters so long as your high heels aren’t hurting your feet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2026
I looped the reins around my forearms for a better grip.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
The show also includes examples from his mid-1980s shift toward more colorful hues, calligraphy-like glyphs and looping lines that collectively confirmed him as one of the most influential abstract painters of the 20th century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
After the opening run of songs, she hushes the audience and spends two minutes looping her voice.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
A rare looping trail of fossilized footprints in Colorado is giving scientists a detailed look at how a giant dinosaur moved 150 million years ago.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Then, the reverent sound of a looping violin broke the silence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
“Hold on tight,” Leonor said, looping her arm around Jackson’s to help hold him up.
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
