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
Kareem chased it down in the corner, did a bit of a tightrope act to stay inbounds, then turned around and drained it with near-perfect form.
—
Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
Of course, embracing outsider thinking without alienating the insiders who get shows on the air is a tightrope walk.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
But Raman’s walked quite the tightrope of being a DSA’er who talks like a back-to-basics liberal while also hanging out with left-wing extremists like Hasan Piker.
—Sal Rodriguez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
Kore-eda has generated Spielberg comparisons before, given his facility with child actors, his affinity for dramas about broken families, and his ability to walk a tightrope between sentimentality and restraint.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tightrope
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Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
Of course, embracing outsider thinking without alienating the insiders who get shows on the air is a tightrope walk.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
But Raman’s walked quite the tightrope of being a DSA’er who talks like a back-to-basics liberal while also hanging out with left-wing extremists like Hasan Piker.
—Sal Rodriguez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
Kore-eda has generated Spielberg comparisons before, given his facility with child actors, his affinity for dramas about broken families, and his ability to walk a tightrope between sentimentality and restraint.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tightrope
Cite this Entry
“Tightrope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tightrope. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tightrope
noun
tight·rope
-ˌrōp 
: a rope or wire stretched tight for acrobats to perform on
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