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
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.
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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
Grand Canyon Lopes Thunder the Antelope seemingly can do it all, posing for photos with Grand Canyon University fans, rappelling to the arena floor from the ceiling and jumping off a trampoline to dunk a basketball.
—John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rappel
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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
Grand Canyon Lopes Thunder the Antelope seemingly can do it all, posing for photos with Grand Canyon University fans, rappelling to the arena floor from the ceiling and jumping off a trampoline to dunk a basketball.
—John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 17 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 24 May. 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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