sopping wet
Soaked clean through. Dripping wet.
Also called soppin' wet, sopping.
Updated September 24, 2026
sopping wet pronunciation
/SOP-pin WET/
Meaning
Means wet past damp and past dampish. Clothes stick to you. Hair drips in your eyes. Dogs leave puddles on the porch. In rural Southern talk you often hear it as soppin' wet, same idea as sopping up gravy with a biscuit: soaked till it will not hold more.
How folks use it
- “We got caught in that gulley washer and came home sopping wet.”
- “Leave them boots by the door. They're still soppin' wet.”
Origin and etymology
From sop, an old English word for soaking something in liquid (and for dipping bread). Mid-1800s English already used sopping for thoroughly wet. Southern and Appalachian speech kept it loud and common, especially with the dropped-g form soppin' wet.
Frequently asked questions
Is sopping wet just a Southern thing?
Other folks say it too. Down South and in the hills you hear it a lot, usually as soppin' wet, especially after a hard rain or a creek mishap.