cope

[kohp]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cope ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), coped, cop·ing.

to struggle or deal, especially on fairly even terms or with some degree of success (usually followed by with): I will try to cope with his rudeness.

to face and deal with responsibilities, problems, or difficulties, especially successfully or in a calm or adequate manner: After his breakdown he couldn't cope any longer.

Archaic. to come into contact; meet (usually followed by with).

verb (used with object), coped, cop·ing.

British Informal. to cope with.

Obsolete. to come into contact with; encounter.

Origin of cope

1300–50; Middle English coupen < Anglo-French, Old French couper to strike, derivative of coup coup¹

Related formscope·less, adjectivecope·less·ness, noun

Synonyms for cope

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cope ON THESAURUS.COM

1. wrestle, strive, persevere.

cope

[kohp]

noun

a long mantle, especially of silk, worn by ecclesiastics over the alb or surplice in processions and on other occasions.

any cloaklike or canopylike covering.

the sky.

a coping.

Metallurgy. the upper half of a flask.Compare drag(def 32).

verb (used with object), coped, cop·ing.

to furnish with or as if with a cope or coping.

Origin of cope

1175–1225; Middle English < Medieval Latin cāpa, variant of cappa cap¹

cope

[kohp]

verb (used with object), coped, cop·ing.

Building Trades.

to join (two molded wooden members) by undercutting the end of one of them to the profile of the other so that the joint produced resembles a miter joint (usually followed by in or together).
to form (a joint between such members) in this way.
to undercut the end of (a molded wooden member) in order to form a coped joint.
to cut away (a flange of a metal member) so that it may be joined to another member at an angle.

Falconry. to clip or dull (the beak or talons of a hawk).

Origin of cope

1565–75; < French couper to cut; see cope¹

cope

⁴

[kohp]

verb (used with object), coped, cop·ing. British.

to barter; trade; exchange.

Origin of cope

⁴

1400–50; late Middle English copen < Low German; compare Middle Dutch côpen to buy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cope

wrestle, handle, confront, grapple, endure, survive, suffer, tussle, deal, buffet, face, dispatch, weather, struggle, hack, tangle, encounter

Examples from the Web for cope

Contemporary Examples of cope

Stephanie Giorgio, a classical musician, credits The Class for helping her cope with anxiety, focus, fear, and self-doubt.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze
Lizzie Crocker
January 9, 2015
Fulkerson, the founder of the magazine who has hired March, is someone he can cope with.
The Novel That Foretold the TNR Meltdown
Nicolaus Mills
December 22, 2014
Eric told me about a case with which a fellow lobbyist had to cope.
Up to a Point: In Defense of Lobbyists
P. J. O’Rourke
October 25, 2014
Child workers, even when they are brought back into the classroom, are unable to cope without proper bridge courses.
Stopping the Small Hands of Slavery
Meenakshi Ganguly
October 13, 2014
In an effort to cope with the implications of this question, Americans have subtly but sweepingly shifted their ideals.
How Young People Are Destroying Liberty
James Poulos
October 11, 2014

Historical Examples of cope

I fancy that is just the one thing the human faculty is least able to cope with.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
I must be active in order to cope with the enemy's own scouts and spies.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
The material can cope with the eternal only in virtue of everlasting evanescence.
Miracles of Our Lord
George MacDonald
He is too shy to cope with such a man as you, but does his duty well.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
It seemed as if we were now ready to cope with rebellion in all its extent and strength.
The Nation in a Nutshell
George Makepeace Towle

British Dictionary definitions for cope

cope

verb

(intr foll by with) to contend (against)

(intr) to deal successfully with or handle a situation; manageshe coped well with the problem

(tr) archaic

to deal with
to meet in battle

Word Origin for cope

C14: from Old French coper to strike, cut, from coup blow; see coup 1

cope

noun

a large ceremonial cloak worn at solemn liturgical functions by priests of certain Christian sects

any covering shaped like a cope

verb

(tr) to dress (someone) in a cope

Word Origin for cope

Old English cāp, from Medieval Latin cāpa, from Late Latin cappa hooded cloak; see cap

cope

verb (tr)

to provide (a wall) with a coping

to join (two moulded timber members)

noun

another name for coping

Word Origin for cope

C17: probably from French couper to cut; see cope 1

COPE

n acronym for (in South Africa)

Congress of the People: a political party founded in 2008 by dissident members of the ANC

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cope

late 14c., "come to blows with," from Old French couper, earlier colper "hit, punch," from colp "a blow" (see coup). Meaning evolved 17c. into "handle successfully," perhaps influenced by obsolete cope "to traffic" (15c.-17c.), a word in North Sea trade, from the Flemish version of the Germanic source of English cheap. Related: Coped; coping.

cope in Medicine

cope

[kōp]

v.

To contend with difficulties with the intent to overcome them.