on the ropes

phrase

: in a defensive and often helpless position

Examples of on the ropes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There is of course no guarantee that any deal with the Taliban would have been possible had al-Qaeda been defeated and bin Laden captured in 2001, or when bin Laden was killed and the Taliban were on the ropes in 2011. — Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Sarah Stier / Getty Images But in the fifth, with Makhachev seemingly on the ropes, the champion showed his heart. — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Infantino on the ropes The soccer body — which has a longstanding rivalry with FIFA over who gets to control soccer and its riches — also continued to call for Infantino's ouster. — Rafael Nam, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026

Whisenhunt had been on the ropes since a two-run first in which Tatis led off with a double and scored on Machado’s sacrifice fly to left. — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for on the ropes

• oscilloscopes
• antelopes
• biotopes
• cantaloupes
• envelopes
• epitopes
• gyroscopes
• horoscopes
• isotopes
• microscopes
• telescopes
• copes