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Drop by means to briefly or casually visit a place or to stay there for a short time.

A person who drops by a place doesn’t stay there for very long, as in She promised to at least drop by whenever she was in town.��

Sometimes, the phrase implies that it is done as one of several stops, as in I might drop by the post office on my way to the grocery store.

The similar phrases drop in, drop over, stop by, stop in, and stop over all mean the same thing, as in Janet dropped in just to say hello.��

In many cases, these terms imply that the visit was unannounced or unexpected, as in You’ll never guess who dropped by earlier.��

Example: Did your sister every drop by to get that saw that we borrowed?

The first records of the verb phrase drop by come from the first half of the 1900s. Drop in is much older, having been used since the 1600s. The first records of drop over come from the 1800s.

Usually, to drop by is to stop some place temporarily—or at least it’s intended or implied to be a temporary stop. In many cases, when a person drops by a place, it’s as one of multiple stops they are making. Sometimes, though, when a person says they are going to drop by, the visit ends up being much longer than anticipated. On the other hand, drop by is sometimes used when a person doesn’t want to or can’t commit to visiting, as in I might drop by today if I get the chance.

What are some synonyms for drop by?

• drop in
• drop over
• stop by
• stop in
• stop over
• swing by��
• pop in

What are some words that share a root or word element with drop by?��

• drop
• by

What are some words that often get used in discussing drop by?

• visit
• briefly
• short
• time
• office
• house

Drop by is typically used in the context of short visits or brief stays. It sometimes implies that such a visit was unannounced.

Last night the team was surprised with a guest appearance by this avid hockey fan and great Canadian. 🇨🇦🎤

Any guesses who dropped by to say hi?!

— #WorldJuniors (@HC_WJC)

This is a very good place to access by bike, if you have the miles and hills in your legs. One day I will drop by to see this. Seems appropriate to have found a remnant of a severed civilisation this week. Who will be lantern bearers this time?

— Katy Rodda Still Wants 2m (@KatyCycles)

It’s the kind of morning where Fall just dropped by for a quick cup of coffee and whispered, “Just checking in, I’ll be back soon.”

— Michael St James (@michaelstjames)

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Is drop by used correctly in the following sentence?

My cousin dropped by for tea but he had to leave for an appointment.