trope

1 of 2

noun

ˈtrōp 

1

a

: a word or expression used in a figurative sense : figure of speech

b

: a common or overused theme or device : cliché

the usual horror movie tropes

2

: a phrase or verse added as an embellishment or interpolation to the sung parts of the Mass in the Middle Ages

-trope

2 of 2

noun combining form

: body characterized by (such) a state

allotrope

Synonyms

Noun

• cliche
• cliché
• truism

Examples of trope in a Sentence

Noun

a screenplay that reads like a catalog of mystery-thriller tropes

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

One of the rare recent TV exercises not to indulge conspiracy-theory tropes but deconstruct and criticize them was Netflix’s winter limited series Zero Day, in which the British actor Dan Stevens played a villainous YouTuber peddling such theories. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2025

In a film landscape where reliance on tropes and cliches leads to a predictable time at the movies, Ari Aster marches to the beat of his own, often deranged, drummer. —Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

The survey also asked takers for their opinions on a series of antisemitic tropes, a recurring subject for the ADL’s research. —Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 2025

Lena’s aware and fond of all of those romantic-comedy tropes, but the show is Lena’s version of that, so it’s got a bit more battery acid in there. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Latin tropus "figure of speech" (Medieval Latin, "embellishment to the sung parts of the Mass"), borrowed from Greek trópos "turn, way, manner, style, figurative expression," noun derivative from the base of trépein "to turn," probably going back to Indo-European *trep-, whence also Sanskrit trapate "(s/he) is ashamed, becomes perplexed," Hittite te-ri-ip-zi "(s/he) ploughs"

Note: Also compared is Latin trepit, glossed as vertit "(s/he) turns," but as this form is only attested in the lexicon of the grammarian Sextus Pompeius Festus, it may be a reconstruction based on the Greek word. The word tropes (genitive case) in the Old English translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History is an isolated instance; the word was reborrowed from Latin or Greek in the 16th century.

Noun combining form

borrowed from Greek -tropos "turned, directed, living (in the manner indicated)," adjective derivative of trópos "turn, way, manner, style" — more at trope

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for trope

• cope
• dope
• grope
• lope
• mope
• nope
• antelope
• bronchoscope
• cantaloupe
• cystoscope
• endoscope
• envelope