as in cliché
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 such, the author’s beloved friends-to-lovers trope, along with a tribute to her North Carolina upbringing, both appear in the novel.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Still others are repeating the same tropes that have plagued college sports for more than a decade.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Those beliefs extended into the most severe antisemitic tropes and beliefs.
—Miriam Eve Mora, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
The film, which debuted on Netflix April 1, deploys a deliberately eccentric tone, mixing slapstick, satire and spy-thriller tropes with Das’ irreverent comedic sensibility.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trope
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Still others are repeating the same tropes that have plagued college sports for more than a decade.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Those beliefs extended into the most severe antisemitic tropes and beliefs.
—Miriam Eve Mora, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
The film, which debuted on Netflix April 1, deploys a deliberately eccentric tone, mixing slapstick, satire and spy-thriller tropes with Das’ irreverent comedic sensibility.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trope
Noun
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Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
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But, travel experts say, that truism doesn't apply during this tumultuous period.—
ANDREA SACHS THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the early 2000s, Sears began to use its website — the new iteration of its catalog — to help pioneer the now-commonplace practices of buying goods online and picking them up in store.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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By the time Szeemann was invited to organize two consecutive installments of the Venice Biennale (in 1999 and 2001), the criticism of curators’ assuming the role of meta-artists, in Szeemann’s case with quasi-shamanistic aspirations, had become a commonplace.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But for UConn, the platitudes feel profoundly honest.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
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Donovan reiterated a series of platitudes that haven’t changed during his time with the Bulls.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trope. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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