English Reference

Word

cropping

Phoneticscrop·ping

US/ˈkɹɑpɪŋ/

UK/kɹˈɒpɪŋ/

Definition

v. to cut or trim the edges of something, like a photo or a plant, to make it fit or look better.

v. to remove the outer parts of an image or object to improve framing or adjust aspect ratio; also refers to the act of harvesting or biting off the tops of plants.

Examples

“I am cropping the photo to remove the person in the background.”

“The editor spent the afternoon cropping the high-resolution images to fit the magazine's narrow layout.”

“By cropping the foreground out of the landscape shot, the photographer managed to draw the viewer's eye directly toward the distant mountain peaks.”

Examples

simple

“I am cropping the photo to remove the person in the background.”

contextual

“The editor spent the afternoon cropping the high-resolution images to fit the magazine's narrow layout.”

complex

“By cropping the foreground out of the landscape shot, the photographer managed to draw the viewer's eye directly toward the distant mountain peaks.”

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, such as an image, a photo, or a plant.

Pitfall

I am cropping out the photo

I am cropping the photo

While you can 'crop out' a specific detail, you 'crop' the whole image; using 'out' with the main object is redundant.

Real-World Examples

“They were also faster-growing and better able to recover from cropping by dinosaurs.”
Phys.org · 26 Aug 2026

Domains

AgricultureMining

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/cropping

English Reference