as in cliche
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
a screenplay that reads like a catalog of mystery-thriller tropes the narrative trope of two rival characters falling in love by the end of the story
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Recent Examples of trope
As a way to appeal to Iranians of the righteousness of his cause, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his surrogates have deployed tropes of civilizational greatness that would make even the most ardent Persian chauvinist blush.
—
Shervin Malekzadeh, Mercury News, 26 June 2025
That’s not Disney embracing gay relationships but simply yet another throwaway nod in a script that mines every possible Greek trope for one-off jokes.
—David Benedict, Variety, 24 June 2025
Car chases were as reliable a trope as the maverick officer with his own moral code mouthing off to superiors, or the battle-scarred veteran who’s seen it all and just wants to eat donuts and make it to retirement.
—Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
Federal prosecutors offered no rebuttal, which brought the day to an end with the trope of a whimper not a legal bang.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for trope
Shervin Malekzadeh, Mercury News, 26 June 2025
That’s not Disney embracing gay relationships but simply yet another throwaway nod in a script that mines every possible Greek trope for one-off jokes.
—David Benedict, Variety, 24 June 2025
Car chases were as reliable a trope as the maverick officer with his own moral code mouthing off to superiors, or the battle-scarred veteran who’s seen it all and just wants to eat donuts and make it to retirement.
—Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
Federal prosecutors offered no rebuttal, which brought the day to an end with the trope of a whimper not a legal bang.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for trope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trope
Noun
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The channel presents videos of Adams traveling to various country clubs and using Jewish cliches to poke fun at golf’s historic exclusion of Jews.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
4 July 2025
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The actor does his best to exude menace, but he’s hampered by a script filled with franchise cliches like an evil admiral (Peter Weller) and Kirk playing fast and loose with the Prime Directive.—
Chris Snellgrove,
EW.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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The notion that Trump is the wrong answer to the right question has become something of a truism for liberals.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
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With Section 899, Republicans are trying to test the truism about two wrongs not making a right.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trope. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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