ENGLISH
REFERENCE

drop by

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to visit someone or a place for a short time without a formal plan.

phr. v.. to pay a brief, often spontaneous or informal visit to a person or location.


SIMPLE

Please drop by my office later today.

CONTEXTUAL

Since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to drop by and see how you were doing.

COMPLEX

The local representative promised to drop by the community center to address the residents' concerns regarding the new development project.

Particles
by
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
drop + by
Usage

often used with 'at' for places or 'on' for people, though it can stand alone.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'visit' to show the difference in formality and duration; 'drop by' implies a casual, short stop.

Pitfall

I will drop by to you tomorrow.I will drop by tomorrow.the verb does not take 'to' before the person; use 'drop by' alone or 'drop by your house'.

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