lope

noun

\ 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)

intransitive verb

: to move or ride at a lope

Other Words from lope Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about lope

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Synonyms for lope

Synonyms: Verb

bounce, bound, hop, lollop, skip, trip

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, "How on Earth Can Profits Grow at 10% in a 2% Economy?," 28 July 2017 Sheridan’s dialogue shares the pleasurable, easy lope of Larry McMurtry, who has written evocatively of the West’s past and present. — Mary Kaye Schilling, Newsweek, "Taylor Sheridan's 'Wind River' is a Blistering Expose of Violence Against Native American Women," 28 July 2017 The bear passed before him at a lope, 50 yards away. — National Geographic, "Inside the Effort to Kill Protections for Endangered Animals," 19 May 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Stubby hind legs increase energy efficiency, allowing the animals to lope easily across the ground. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — Michael Hamad, courant.com, "Waterbury Indie Rock Band Mandala Dreams Of Breaking Free With 'Cash For Smiles'," 8 Jan. 2018 Alek Shrader maintains his tenoral cool while having to lope around the stage as half-man, half-gorilla. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Steve Jobs opera in Santa Fe shows a troubled tech wizard in search of his humanity," 8 Aug. 2017 A handler of big cats weeps as the beasts lope out of the ring for the last time. — Michelle R. Smith, idahostatesman, "End of an era: The final days of the Ringling Bros.," 19 May 2017

These 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.