1
: a rope or wire stretched taut for acrobats to perform on
2
: a dangerously precarious situation
—usually used in the phrase walk a tightrope
Examples of tightrope in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Still, Hollywood lore is lousy with addicts who have thrived despite their bad habits, and for a while, Roberts walked the tightrope.
—
Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2024
Organizations must walk a tightrope between allowing free expression and preventing toxicity, discrimination and hostility.
—Jessica Kriegel, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
Inspired by the city’s subculture of the 70s and 80s (think David Bowie and Iggy Pop), Skoda’s work sits on the tightrope between elegance and provocation.
—Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Hollywood has produced numerous classic films revolving around the Holocaust and the extinction of the Jewish people at the hands of Nazi Germany, but this one, like Anne Frank, is quietly but unflinchingly told through the eyes of young people who find their lives on a tightrope.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tightrope 
Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2024
Organizations must walk a tightrope between allowing free expression and preventing toxicity, discrimination and hostility.
—Jessica Kriegel, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
Inspired by the city’s subculture of the 70s and 80s (think David Bowie and Iggy Pop), Skoda’s work sits on the tightrope between elegance and provocation.
—Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Hollywood has produced numerous classic films revolving around the Holocaust and the extinction of the Jewish people at the hands of Nazi Germany, but this one, like Anne Frank, is quietly but unflinchingly told through the eyes of young people who find their lives on a tightrope.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tightrope
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tightrope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Tightrope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tightrope. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tightrope
noun
tight·rope
-ˌrōp 
: a rope or wire stretched tight for acrobats to perform on
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