# loop

Pronunciation: US say "LOOP" /luːp/; UK

## Noun

1. A length of thread, line, or rope doubled over so that it forms an opening.
   - Simple: A piece of string or rope bent back so it makes a round opening.
   - _He tied a loop at the end of the rope to secure the tent._
   - _The sailor threaded the line through a small loop near the mast._
2. A shape made by a curve that bends around and crosses over itself.
   - Simple: A curved line that bends around and crosses over itself.
   - _The race track ends with a tight loop before the finish line._
   - _A roller coaster designer added an extra loop to the new ride._
5. A strip of tape or film joined into a ring so it repeats continuously.
   - Simple: A strip of tape or film joined end to end so it plays over and over.
   - _The animator joined the frames into a seamless loop for the title screen._
   - _An old answering machine recorded the greeting onto a short loop._
7. In computer programming, a set of instructions that keeps repeating until, or for as long as, a given condition holds.
   - Simple: A part of a program that repeats the same steps until a certain thing happens.
   - _The programmer used a loop to process every record in the file._
   - _An infinite loop froze the application until it was forced to quit._
11. The opening created when a length of thread, line, or rope is doubled over.
   - Simple: The round hole made when a string or rope is bent back on itself.
   - _She widened the loop so the heavy peg could pass through._
   - _The carabiner clipped neatly into the loop at the rope's end._
12. A ring road or beltway that encircles a city or built-up area.
   - Simple: A road that circles around a city and brings you back to the start.
   - _We merged onto the loop and circled around to the airport exit._
   - _A new interchange will ease the bottleneck where two highways meet the loop._
13. A complete circuit around which an electric current can flow.
   - Simple: A complete path that lets electricity flow around a circuit.
   - _Engineers traced the current around the loop to find the fault._
   - _A single loop in the simple circuit carried the entire load._
14. An aerobatic maneuver in which an aircraft flies a complete circle in a vertical plane.
   - Simple: A flying trick where a plane makes a full circle up and over in the air.
   - _The display pilot completed a perfect loop above the runway._
   - _A tight loop demands precise control of speed and throttle._
15. A bus, rail, or walking route that begins and ends at the same point.
   - Simple: A bus, train, or walking route that starts and ends in the same place.
   - _The downtown loop connects all the major stations._
   - _Riders can stay on the loop for as long as they like._
18. A path whose starting point and ending point are one and the same.
   - Simple: A path that begins and ends at the very same spot.
   - _The proof considers a loop that returns to its base point._
   - _Every loop on a sphere can be shrunk down to a single point._
19. An edge that joins a vertex to itself.
   - Simple: A line in a diagram that connects a point back to itself.
   - _The graph contains a loop at vertex three._
   - _Removing the loop leaves a simple graph with no repeated edges._
20. A contraceptive device shaped like a loop, inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
   - Simple: A small bendy device shaped like a loop that is placed in the womb to prevent pregnancy.
   - _The clinic recommended a loop for patients who could not take hormones._
   - _She had the loop removed after two years._
23. The curved, arching flight given to a slowly spun delivery in cricket.
   - Simple: The curved, rising path of a slowly spun ball in cricket.
   - _The spinner's loop drew the batsman forward into a false stroke._
   - _Extra loop on the delivery made it dip sharply before the crease._
24. A flexible region connecting the more ordered elements of a protein's secondary structure.
   - Simple: A bendy section that connects the more rigid parts of a protein.
   - _The enzyme's active site sits within a flexible loop._
   - _Mutations in the loop changed how the protein folds._
25. A quasigroup that also contains an identity element.
   - Simple: A math system whose combining table has every member once in each row and column, and one member that changes nothing.
   - _Every group is a loop, but not every loop is a group._
   - _The multiplication table of a finite loop forms a Latin square with an identity row._
26. A small, narrow opening, such as a slit in a defensive wall.
   - Simple: A small, narrow opening in a wall, like a slit you can look or shoot through.
   - _Defenders fired their crossbows through each loop in the rampart._
   - _The tower's only daylight came through a single loop._
27. A curved section of track at a terminus that lets trains or trams turn around and travel back without reversing.
   - Simple: A curved track at the end of a line that lets a train turn around without backing up.
   - _The streetcar circled the loop and returned along the same avenue._
   - _Engineers built a loop so the train could change direction without a turntable._
28. A short length of parallel track on a single-track line where one train can wait for another to pass.
   - Simple: A short stretch of extra track that lets one train wait while another goes by.
   - _The local train pulled into the loop to let the express through._
   - _Without a loop on this branch, only one train could run at a time._

## Verb

3. To bend or shape something into a loop.
   - Simple: To bend something into a round shape with an opening.
   - _The tailor looped the cord into a neat ring before stitching it down._
   - _Loop the string before you tie the final knot._
4. To bend around so as to form a loop.
   - Simple: To bend around and make a round shape.
   - _The river loops sharply before reaching the sea._
   - _Vines loop over the old fence and tangle in the gate._
6. To play a recording, such as a song or video, over and over by starting it again each time it ends.
   - Simple: To play a song or video over and over without stopping.
   - _The gallery looped the artist's interview on a screen by the entrance._
   - _Loop the backing track so the band can rehearse the chorus._
8. To move along a circular or curving path that returns on itself.
   - Simple: To move along a path that curves around in a circle.
   - _The roller coaster looped twice before the final drop._
   - _Swallows loop through the barn and out the open doors._
9. To fasten or surround something with a loop.
   - Simple: To tie or wrap something using a loop.
   - _She looped the leash around the post while she paid inside._
   - _Loop the cord around your wrist so you don't drop the camera._
10. To move something along a looping or circular path.
   - Simple: To swing or move something along a curving path.
   - _The cowboy looped the lasso above his head before throwing it._
   - _Loop the kite in wide arcs to keep it from stalling._
16. To fly an aircraft through a complete vertical circle as an aerobatic maneuver.
   - Simple: To fly a plane in a full circle, going up, over, and back down.
   - _The display pilot looped his biplane twice before landing._
   - _Competitors must loop the aircraft cleanly to score well._
17. To connect electrical components together so as to complete a circuit.
   - Simple: To connect electrical parts together so that electricity can flow around.
   - _She looped the sensor into the main circuit before testing it._
   - _Technicians loop the components carefully to avoid loose connections._
21. To introduce an error into a program that traps it in an endless cycle, causing the computer to freeze.
   - Simple: To make a mistake in a program so it repeats forever and the computer freezes.
   - _A single missing exit condition looped the application and locked the workstation._
   - _Careless recursion can loop the entire system within seconds._
22. To set or arrange something within a loop.
   - Simple: To put something into the shape of a loop, or inside a loop.
   - _She looped the cable behind the desk to keep it tidy._
   - _Loop the belt through each fastener before buckling it._
29. Of a teacher, to advance through successive school years with the same group of students.
   - Simple: To move up through several grades with the same class of students, as a teacher.
   - _She looped with her class for three consecutive years._
   - _Teachers who loop often build stronger relationships with families._

## Noun

30. A sports league; an organized association of competing teams. *(dated, Canada, US)*
   - Simple: A group of sports teams that play one another in an organized league.
   - _He pitched three seasons in the bush loop before retiring._
   - _The fastest skaters all dreamed of reaching the major loop._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A spongy lump of hot iron taken from a furnace to be hammered into wrought iron, also spelled loup.
- (verb) To lay a second pipeline beside an existing one along the same route, to carry more.

## Origin

From Middle English loupe ("noose, loop"), earlier lowp-knot, of North Germanic origin. It comes from Old Norse hlaup ("a run"), used in the sense of a "running knot," from hlaupa ("to leap"), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną ("to leap, run"). The verb is derived from the noun.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/loop (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).