as in cliché
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
a screenplay that reads like a catalog of mystery-thriller tropes the narrative trope of two rival characters falling in love by the end of the story
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Recent Examples of trope
If sprinters on steroids was the cliché of the 1980s, blood-doping endurance athletes has become a similarly familiar trope.
—
Alex Hutchinson, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
Merritt draws listeners’ attention to songwriting form, winking at its conventions and timeworn tropes.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Many of these videos are shot in people’s cars — a recurring trope for influencers recording themselves eating or doing makeup tutorials.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 28 Apr. 2026
Others speculated without credible evidence that the Israeli government or military played a role — an allegation often used as an antisemitic trope.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trope
Alex Hutchinson, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
Merritt draws listeners’ attention to songwriting form, winking at its conventions and timeworn tropes.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Many of these videos are shot in people’s cars — a recurring trope for influencers recording themselves eating or doing makeup tutorials.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 28 Apr. 2026
Others speculated without credible evidence that the Israeli government or military played a role — an allegation often used as an antisemitic trope.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trope
Noun
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Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
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But, travel experts say, that truism doesn't apply during this tumultuous period.—
ANDREA SACHS THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the early 2000s, Sears began to use its website — the new iteration of its catalog — to help pioneer the now-commonplace practices of buying goods online and picking them up in store.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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By the time Szeemann was invited to organize two consecutive installments of the Venice Biennale (in 1999 and 2001), the criticism of curators’ assuming the role of meta-artists, in Szeemann’s case with quasi-shamanistic aspirations, had become a commonplace.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The lyrics—elsewhere evocative—wilt dramatically, a slurry of platitudes.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
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Neville is smart enough as a documentarian to leave out platitudes, but also to let access to Michaels’ Maine retreat be a vibe rather than some knockout reveal.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trope. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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