trope

noun

ˈtrōp How to pronounce trope (audio)
Definition of tropenext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trope Train robberies are a trope of cowboy Westerns, associated with 19th-century outlaws like Jesse James, Butch Cassidy and the Reno Gang. — Kiel Porter, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 The language of a sociopath is very easy to have a mustached, twirly guy speaking and pontificating and vaguely threatening tropes, but to really give him a kind of humanity, vulnerability. — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026 Its real interest, though, seems to lie beyond both DC Universe lore and the procedural tropes of the rural murder investigations that occupy most of its runtime. — Judy Berman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026 There’s only damage and dehumanizing and perpetuating racial tropes. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trope
  1. truism
  2. commonplace
  3. platitude
Noun
  • Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But most politicians are pretty easily replaced, a truism that Moreno reinforced by going public.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • Wolff was only the eighth woman to drive a Formula 1 car (four more have done it since); the role, a now-commonplace one that includes driving the simulator during Grand Prix weekends to inform trackside strategy, was created for her.
    — Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026
  • The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Definition of commonplace
Noun
  • In the second game of Monday’s doubleheader, Marmol showed his words weren’t just platitudes, pitching to Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz to start the bottom of the 10th inning with the automatic runner on second and first base open.
    — C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Today, Instagram unveiled a refresh of its wordmark, accompanied by the usual bland corporate platitudes these kinds of announcements are always packaged with.
    — Aurich Lawson, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of platitude

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troops
trope
tropes
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Cite this Entry

“Trope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trope. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about trope

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