Stooping

stoop ¹  (stp)

v. stooped, stoop·ing, stoops

v.intr.

1. To bend forward and down from the waist or the middle of the back: had to stoop in order to fit into the cave.

2. To walk or stand, especially habitually, with the head and upper back bent forward.

3. To bend or sag downward.

4.

a. To lower or debase oneself.

b. To descend from a superior position; condescend.

5. To yield; submit.

6. To swoop down, as a bird in pursuing its prey.

v.tr.

1. To bend (the head or body) forward and down.

2. To debase; humble.

n.

1. The act of stooping.

2. A forward bending of the head and upper back, especially when habitual.

3. An act of self-abasement or condescension.

4. A descent, as of a bird of prey.

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[Middle English stoupen, from Old English stpian.]

Synonyms: stoop¹, condescend, deign
These verbs mean to descend to a level considered inappropriate to one's dignity: stooped to contemptible methods to realize their ambitions; won't condescend to acknowledge his rival's greeting; didn't even deign to reply.

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stoop ²  (stp)

n. Chiefly Northeastern U.S.

A small porch, platform, or staircase leading to the entrance of a house or building.

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[Dutch stoep, front verandah, from Middle Dutch.]

Regional Note: Originally brought to the Hudson Valley of New York by settlers from the Netherlands, a few items of Dutch vocabulary have survived there from colonial times until the present. Stoop, "a small porch," comes from Dutch stoep; this word is now in general use in the Northeast and is probably spreading. The word olicook, which appears to be dying out, means "doughnut," and comes from Dutch oliekoekliterally, "oil cake." And the Dutch word kill for a small running stream is used throughout New York State.

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stoop ³  (stp)

n.

Variant of stoup.

Thesaurus

Adj.

1.

stooping - having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect; "a little oldish misshapen stooping woman" hunched, round-backed, round-shouldered, stooped, crooked unerect - not upright in position or posture