Overlays & Surfaces · Menus
Dropdown Menu
also known as dropdown, drop-down menu, pulldown menu
A dropdown menu is a list of options that appears directly beneath (or above) the control that triggered it, such as a button or menu-bar item. It's the most common on-demand menu, used for actions, filters, and single-select choices. It closes when the user picks an item or clicks away.
See it live — shadcn/ui · MUI · Ant Design
Don't confuse it with
A dropdown menu opens from a button you click and lists commands or options. A context menu opens at the pointer on right-click. A flyout opens to the side. Don't confuse a dropdown menu (commands/actions) with a select/combobox (form control for choosing a value).
In the wild
Clicking your avatar in the top-right of GitHub opens a dropdown menu.