Slop: meaning, definitions and examples

Usually refers to liquid spilling out, often in a careless or messy way. It commonly conveys a negative impression about the manner in which the liquid is handled.

• He slopped the soup all over the table

Describes something or someone losing balance and dropping to a lower position. It can refer to both literal and figurative downward motion.

• She tripped on a rock and fell to the ground
• Sales will fall if we don't improve our product

Often signifies a continuous or chaotic fall, frequently involving rolling or somersaulting. It can be both physical and metaphorical.

• He tumbled down the stairs
• The company's stock prices tumbled after the scandal

Implies accidentally causing a liquid or small objects to pour out of their container. It emphasizes the unintended release.

• Be careful not to spill your coffee on the documents
• The child spilled marbles all over the floor

Slop is typically used to refer to food or liquid that is messy, watery, or poorly prepared, often with a negative connotation.

• The cafeteria served some kind of slop that none of the students wanted to eat.
• The pigs eagerly ate the slop that the farmer poured into their trough.

Mush is a soft, pulpy food, often made from cornmeal or other grains. It can be used neutrally to describe texture, but context might make it sound unappealing.

• For breakfast, they had a bowl of hot cornmeal mush with a bit of honey.
• The toddler's food turned into a mush after mixing it around on his plate.

Gruel refers to a thin, watery food made from boiling grains or cereals, often seen as unappetizing and associated with poverty or difficult conditions.

• "Please, sir, I want some more," said Oliver Twist, holding out his bowl of gruel.
• During the harsh winters, the villagers had nothing but gruel to eat.

Swill is often used in a derogatory way to describe food or drink that is considered disgusting, inferior, or only fit for animals.

• After tasting the cheap beer, he remarked that it was nothing but swill.
• The pirates gave their prisoners only swill to eat during the voyage.

Informally refers to spilling a liquid in a careless manner, often creating a mess. It has a somewhat negative connotation.

• He slopped coffee all over the table.
• The bucket slopped water onto the floor as she carried it.