rope

verb

roped; roping

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to take the form of or twist in the manner of rope

roper noun

Examples of rope in a Sentence

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

After star senior Nora Hamel roped a double off the left field wall just a foot shy of a home run in the third inning Friday afternoon, Newton North softball coach Lauren Baugher flexed her biceps at her in celebration, which Hamel mirrored. —Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026

There’s a big frontier out there to conquer, and Courseau is now enough of a cowboy to rope it, brand it, and ride it into the sunset. —Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Soccer fans headed to Houston for the FIFA World Cup this summer can expect an out-of-this-world experience as the city combines its connection to the stars while roping in some of the best of what the city has to offer by keeping two feet on the ground. —Doha Madani, NBC news, 28 May 2026

The second-biggest hit came from sophomore center fielder Siena Balistreri, who roped a two-out, two-run double off the shortstop’s glove to stretch the lead to 6-3 in the fourth. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing rope

• battle rope
• battling rope
• jump rope
• money for old rope
• rope ladder
• rope off
• rope tow
• skip rope
• the end of one's rope
• wire rope

Rhymes for rope

• cope
• dope
• grope
• lope
• mope
• nope
• scope
• shope
• slope
• soap
• stope
• swope

Kids Definition

rope

1 of 2 noun

ˈrōp 

1

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