crop top: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
HighInformal, Fashion
Quick answer
What does “crop top” mean?
A short top for women that ends above the waist, exposing the midriff.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A short top for women that ends above the waist, exposing the midriff.
A garment style first widely popular in the 1980s, often associated with casual or sporty fashion, fitness culture, and youth fashion trends.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is identical in both varieties. Spelling is consistent as two separate words.
Connotations
In both cultures, connotations can range from fashionable, youthful, and sporty to sometimes 'immodest' depending on context and generation.
Frequency
Equally frequent and common in both fashion and everyday contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “crop top” in a Sentence
She wore a [Adjective] crop top.The crop top [Verb: e.g., showed, revealed, ended] above her waist.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “crop top” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- [No standard verb use]
American English
- [No standard verb use]
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverb use]
American English
- [No standard adverb use]
adjective
British English
- [No standard adjective use]
American English
- [No standard adjective use]
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in retail/fashion business contexts discussing inventory or trends.
Academic
Rare, except in cultural studies, fashion history, or sociology discussing gender, body, and fashion.
Everyday
Very common in casual conversation about clothing and fashion.
Technical
Used in fashion design, manufacturing, and retail product descriptions.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “crop top”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “crop top”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “crop top”
- Writing it as one word: 'croptop'. Using it to describe any short T-shirt rather than a style designed to be short.
- Misgendering: While almost exclusively worn by women, the term itself is not gender-specific in grammar.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, although it is a style historically and currently more associated with women's fashion, it is not grammatically or legally exclusive. Men's crop tops appear in certain subcultures and fashion contexts.
A bralette is a lightweight, often unlined bra designed to be seen, sometimes as outerwear. A crop top is a short top, not necessarily underwear, though styles can overlap.
No, it is an informal term common in fashion and everyday conversation. A more formal description might be 'a short midriff-baring top'.
They saw major mainstream popularity in the 1980s and again in the 1990s and have had cyclical resurgences, notably in the 2010s and 2020s.
A short top for women that ends above the waist, exposing the midriff.
Crop top: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkrɒp ˌtɒp/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkrɑːp ˌtɑːp/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms specific to this term]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a farmer's crop being cut short; a CROP TOP is a top that's been 'cropped' or cut short.
Conceptual Metaphor
CLOTHING IS A MODIFIED OBJECT (it is literally a standard top that has been 'cropped').
Practice
Quiz
What is the defining feature of a crop top?