A sop is something offered to calm someone down or keep them from complaining, even though it doesn't really solve the underlying problem. Imagine your parents promise you can choose what's for dinner tonight (even though you wanted to go to the amusement park instead). That small concession is a sop, a minor gift meant to make you less upset about not getting what you really wanted.

When a teacher gives the class an easy homework assignment after announcing a difficult test, students might recognize it as a sop to reduce their anxiety.

Politicians sometimes offer sops to voters: small changes or promises designed to make people happy without addressing bigger issues. A company might give employees free snacks as a sop when workers really want better pay. The word often carries a slightly negative tone, suggesting the gesture isn't sincere or substantial enough. A true solution fixes the problem; a sop just makes people temporarily less angry about it.