1
a
: a large stout cord of strands of fibers or wire twisted or braided together
b
: a long slender strip of material used as rope
rawhide rope
c
: a hangman's noose
d
: lariat
2
: a row or string consisting of things united by or as if by braiding, twining, or threading
3
ropes plural
: special or basic techniques or procedures
show him the ropes
4
roped; roping
1
a
: to bind, fasten, or tie with a rope or cord
b
: to partition, separate, or divide by a rope
rope off the street
c
: lasso
2
: to draw as if with a rope : lure
: to take the form of or twist in the manner of rope
roper
noun
Examples of rope in a Sentence
Noun
Tie the end of the rope to the post.
She made a knot in the rope.
a six-foot length of rope
We used rope to tie down the furniture in the trailer.
The hostages were tied up with rope.
The veteran cop showed the rookie the ropes.
It will take a few weeks for new employees to learn the ropes.
someone who knows the ropes
Verb
The dog was roped to the fence.
The boats were roped together at the dock.
Mountain climbers often rope themselves together for safety.
He tried to rope the calf.
Recent Examples on the Web
Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
Four years later, Kidd ended up dangling from the end of a rope at London’s Execution Dock.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
The man can be seen helplessly trapped in a hole near a house that’s under construction, while first responders use ropes, ladders and muscle to pull him free from the dirt, photos show.
—Mitchell Willetts, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2024
Inside, Cleopatra’s Barge was a pleasure palace of ornate paneling, gold beams, velvet ropes, fireplaces, and chandeliers.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Opening a bottom drawer inside the cramped space, police recovered a long strand of rope with knots, per the video footage.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
There are seals ensnared in gill nets, plastic bags, ropes, a metal kitchen strainer, bands of cling wrap, packaging straps, thick shark fishing wire, steel cables, bungee cords, plastic straps from hard hats, and miles of fishing line around their necks, jaws, snouts and mouths.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
The third murder charge was filed in 2022 after Mountain View police revisited the Houts case and commissioned a refreshed DNA analysis of a piece of rope that investigators had determined was the murder weapon.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024
The wrestling champ’s persistence led to the organization’s support during breast cancer awareness month via draping a pink rope around the ring and selling pink versions of their merchandise, with proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
—Nasha Smith, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2024
About 30% of customers leased Bentleys last year, rather than purchased, indicating that even wealthy consumers are worried about being roped into monthly payments on a pricey new vehicle.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024
From cloud streaming games to CarPlay, the DOJ complaint tries to rope in the burning grievances of every kind of nerd and then some.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 22 Mar. 2024
Elly Conway is also the main character played by Bryce Dallas Howard in Vaughn’s film, which centers on an introverted spy author who gets roped into a real life game of espionage after her books start hitting too close to a home for global crime syndicate.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024
This week, even a beloved blue-haired Sesame Street resident got roped into the growing political debate about the government's role in battling shrinkflation.
—Alina Selyukh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
Other ingredients are sourced from farms such as Happy Acre in Sunol, which grows and presses olives for oil in Livermore, and there’s even talk about roping in famed Livermore bakery Wingen for the bread service.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 2 Jan. 2024
Black also ropes in a bunch of his Kung Fu Panda 4 castmates, dancing with Awkwafina, karate-chopping Bryan Cranston, and taking a punch from Ke Huy Quan.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024
David Tennant roped in a host of celebrity friends for his opening monologue at the BAFTAs.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2024
Noun
But now, the kid from Marcy has his own rope, his own door, and his own club.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
Four years later, Kidd ended up dangling from the end of a rope at London’s Execution Dock.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
The man can be seen helplessly trapped in a hole near a house that’s under construction, while first responders use ropes, ladders and muscle to pull him free from the dirt, photos show.
—Mitchell Willetts, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2024
Inside, Cleopatra’s Barge was a pleasure palace of ornate paneling, gold beams, velvet ropes, fireplaces, and chandeliers.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Opening a bottom drawer inside the cramped space, police recovered a long strand of rope with knots, per the video footage.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
There are seals ensnared in gill nets, plastic bags, ropes, a metal kitchen strainer, bands of cling wrap, packaging straps, thick shark fishing wire, steel cables, bungee cords, plastic straps from hard hats, and miles of fishing line around their necks, jaws, snouts and mouths.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
The third murder charge was filed in 2022 after Mountain View police revisited the Houts case and commissioned a refreshed DNA analysis of a piece of rope that investigators had determined was the murder weapon.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024
The wrestling champ’s persistence led to the organization’s support during breast cancer awareness month via draping a pink rope around the ring and selling pink versions of their merchandise, with proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
—Nasha Smith, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
Families with small kids might want to rope drop Islands of Adventure's Pteranodon Flyers, a slow-loading kids ride that almost always has a long line.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2024
About 30% of customers leased Bentleys last year, rather than purchased, indicating that even wealthy consumers are worried about being roped into monthly payments on a pricey new vehicle.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024
From cloud streaming games to CarPlay, the DOJ complaint tries to rope in the burning grievances of every kind of nerd and then some.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 22 Mar. 2024
Elly Conway is also the main character played by Bryce Dallas Howard in Vaughn’s film, which centers on an introverted spy author who gets roped into a real life game of espionage after her books start hitting too close to a home for global crime syndicate.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024
This week, even a beloved blue-haired Sesame Street resident got roped into the growing political debate about the government's role in battling shrinkflation.
—Alina Selyukh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
Other ingredients are sourced from farms such as Happy Acre in Sunol, which grows and presses olives for oil in Livermore, and there’s even talk about roping in famed Livermore bakery Wingen for the bread service.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 2 Jan. 2024
Black also ropes in a bunch of his Kung Fu Panda 4 castmates, dancing with Awkwafina, karate-chopping Bryan Cranston, and taking a punch from Ke Huy Quan.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024
David Tennant roped in a host of celebrity friends for his opening monologue at the BAFTAs.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to rope
Dictionary Entries Near rope
Cite this Entry
“Rope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rope. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rope
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a large stout cord of strands (as of fiber or wire) twisted or braided together
b
: lariat
c
: a noose used for hanging
2
: a row or string (as of beads) made by or as if by braiding, twining, or threading
3
plural
: the special way things are done (as on a job)
learn the ropes
rope
2 of 2 verb
roped; roping
1
a
: to bind, fasten, or tie with a rope
b
: to set off or divide by a rope
rope off a street for a neighborhood carnival
c
: to catch with a lasso
2
: to draw as if with a rope
roped her friends into helping with the project
roper
noun
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