rappelled also rappeled; rappelling also rappeling
: to descend (as from a cliff) by sliding down a rope passed under one thigh, across the body, and over the opposite shoulder or through a special friction device
rappel
noun
Examples of rappel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Sunday, June 8, the 40-year-old man was rappelling in the Three Falls area near Alpine when he was impaled by a stick, according to a Facebook post from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
—
Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2025
Minutes later, a firefighter with Rescue Company 2, the same crew that responded to the 2024 crash on the Second Street Bridge, rappelled down and pulled the man to safety from the cabin.
—Killian Baarlaer, USA Today, 14 May 2025
Each new section had to be painstakingly mapped, requiring cavers to rappel hundreds of meters into the darkness, then navigate perilous ascents back to the surface—often while hauling gear that weighed more than their own body mass.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Williams fled the apartment, evading the officer by rappelling out of a window.
—Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rappel
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Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2025
Minutes later, a firefighter with Rescue Company 2, the same crew that responded to the 2024 crash on the Second Street Bridge, rappelled down and pulled the man to safety from the cabin.
—Killian Baarlaer, USA Today, 14 May 2025
Each new section had to be painstakingly mapped, requiring cavers to rappel hundreds of meters into the darkness, then navigate perilous ascents back to the surface—often while hauling gear that weighed more than their own body mass.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Williams fled the apartment, evading the officer by rappelling out of a window.
—Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rappel
Cite this Entry
“Rappel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rappel. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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rappel
verb
rap·pel
rə-ˈpel 
ra-
rappelled also rappeled; rappelling also rappeling
: to descend (as from a cliff) by sliding down a rope
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