Okuzeka
UX/UI Design vocabulary · UI Elements and Patterns

Dropdown menu

Meaning in UX/UI design, with examples

nounCore term

In UX/UI design, dropdown menu means: A menu that stays closed and shows a list of options only when the user clicks or taps it, letting them pick one without taking up space.

In Turkish: açılır menü, dropdown

How it is used

Often just called a dropdown; in forms, developers call it a select. Useful for long lists like countries, but for two or three options, radio buttons or a segmented control are usually clearer.

Example sentences

  1. With only two options, a dropdown menu hides the choices for no reason.

  2. The language dropdown menu doesn't close when you click outside it.

Common collocations

  • open the dropdown menu
  • select from a dropdown
  • dropdown options
  • nested dropdown
  • navigationThe menus, links, tabs and other elements that let people move around a website or app and understand where they are.
  • input fieldA box in a form or interface where users type information, such as a name, an email address or a search term.
  • checkboxA small square that users click or tap to select or clear an option; several checkboxes in a group can be selected at the same time.
  • componentA reusable building block of an interface, such as a button, card or input field, designed once and used in many places with the same look and behaviour.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: UI Elements and Patterns

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: