\ ˈlōp
\
\
Definition of lope
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: an easy natural gait of a horse resembling a canter
2
: an easy usually bounding gait capable of being sustained for a long time
lope
verb
loped; loping
Definition of lope (Entry 2 of 2)
: to move or ride at a lope
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Examples of lope in a Sentence
Verb
The horses loped easily across the fields.
He went loping up the hill.
The outfielder loped after the ball.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Younger guitarists in the cosmic-country realm, like William Tyler and Steve Gunn, also have a bit of Frisell’s unassuming lope.
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New York Times, "A Celebration of Sex in a Year of Deprivation," 10 Mar. 2021
Bumgarner lopes to the mound in his slow, familiar gait.
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Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, "Legacy of a Giant: How Madison Bumgarner made his mark over 10 years in SF," 27 Sep. 2019
Brown lopes across the playground as a police radio crackles and a gaggle of kids watch, probably expecting the tall officer to land in a heap in the playground’s mulch.
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Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, "A D.C. police officer and a kid had a backflip contest. The results went viral.," 3 July 2018
At other times, the 6-foot-4 professional gambler lopes, shoulders slightly hunched, through gaming areas and steps onto elevators -- the ordinariness of his movements camouflaging his dark aims.
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Eliott C. Mclaughlin, CNN, "Surveillance video showed an ordinary gambler. He turned out to be the Las Vegas gunman," 22 Mar. 2018
While the ride is comfortable and the car lopes along the highway unperturbed at 90 mph, the trip is accompanied by a bit of tire roar, which can become annoying on extended drives.
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James Lipman, Car and Driver, "2018 Audi A5 Sportback vs. 2018 BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, 2018 Kia Stinger AWD," 1 Feb. 2018
There’s still the lope of hillbilly music—the steady one-two, one-two striding across the song’s landscape—but inside that is this tight dance beat.
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Longreads, "How Does It Feel? An Alternative American History, Told With Folk Music," 26 Oct. 2017
As the opening track lopes and sways in a midtempo groove, listeners slowly come around to the idea that the first track is also the only track.
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Geoff Dyer, New York Times, "My Obsession With the Necks, the Greatest Trio on Earth," 4 Oct. 2017
The market keeps defying his warnings, but one thing is certain: A future where EPS grows at 10% in a 4% (2% real) economy, where profits gallop while GDP lopes, is a Wall Street fantasy.
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Shawn Tully, Fortune, "How on Earth Can Profits Grow at 10% in a 2% Economy?," 28 July 2017
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The gray wolf that made headlines in 2011 for becoming the first lobo in nearly a century to lope in California’s wilderness is presumed dead.
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Suzanne Espinosa Solis, SFChronicle.com, "California’s celebrated gray wolf, OR-7, presumed dead," 15 Apr. 2020
The dancers, like multicolored gazelles, flit and lope and skitter and spin, each following a distinct and singular trajectory.
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Marina Harss, The New Yorker, "Dancing with Merce Cunningham in Three Dimensions," 9 Dec. 2019
Stubby hind legs increase energy efficiency, allowing the animals to lope easily across the ground.
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Christine Dell'amore, National Geographic, "Hyenas have a bad rap—but they’re Africa’s most successful predator," 14 June 2019
Soon Flora Bundy will return for her second witness interview and a lion or two may lope through the den, checking on how the inquiry is going.
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Anne Carson, Harper's magazine, "From a manuscript in progress. Carson’s collection of performance pieces," 10 June 2019
These days, Dublin City seems to be flexing another muscle: Cyclists flood the streets, runners lope along park trails and, on the edges of this coastal metropolis, kite surfers dot the sky.
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Brigid Mander, WSJ, "How to Earn Your Guinness in Dublin," 2 Aug. 2018
Bassist Benny Trokan underlines the tunefulness with nimble lines that lope and chug, girding every song with a snappy precision and providing ballast for the strings that gild some of the tracks.
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Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, "Montreal pop auteur Michael Rault summons the spirit of 70 AM pop radio on It’s a New Day Tonight," 29 June 2018
Each winter, camels lope around the moon-like desert landscape of the lowest place on Earth under the watchful eyes of their Bedouin Arab herders, in an ancient tradition passed from father to son over the generations.
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Washington Post, "AP PHOTOS: By Dead Sea, camels graze at Earth’s lowest place," 18 Mar. 2018
Grooves swing, lope and gallop, while Chris Desiderio’s distorted, spacey guitar leads stab in and out.
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Michael Hamad, courant.com, "Waterbury Indie Rock Band Mandala Dreams Of Breaking Free With 'Cash For Smiles'," 8 Jan. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lope.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Last Updated
23 Mar 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Lope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lope. Accessed 7 May. 2021.
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More Definitions for lope
lope
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of lope
: to run in a relaxed way with long strides
See the full definition for lope in the English Language Learners Dictionary
lope
noun
\ ˈlōp
\
\
Kids Definition of lope
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an effortless way of moving with long smooth steps
lope
verb
loped; loping
Kids Definition of lope (Entry 2 of 2)
: to go or run in an effortless way with long smooth steps
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Time Traveler for lope
The first known use of lope was in 1809
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