to struggle or deal, especially on fairly even terms or with some degree of success (usually followed bywith ).
The new heating and cooling system can cope with extremes of temperature much better than the old one.
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 bywith ).
British Informal. to cope with.
Obsolete. to come into contact with; encounter.
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 on a wall.
Metallurgy. the upper half of a flask.
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 ortogether ).
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).
to contend (against)
(intr) to deal successfully with or handle a situation; manage
she coped well with the problem
archaic (tr)
to deal with
to meet in battle
a large ceremonial cloak worn at solemn liturgical functions by priests of certain Christian sects
any covering shaped like a cope
to provide (a wall) with a coping
to join (two moulded timber members)
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English coupen, from Anglo-French, Old French couper “to strike,” derivative of coup “a blow”; see origin at coup 1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Medieval Latin cāpa, variant of cappa “hooded cloak”; see cap 1
First recorded in 1565–75; from French couper “to cut”; see cope 1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English copen, from Low German; compare Middle Dutch côpen “to buy”
If you are able to cope with something, you are able to deal with it. If you can cope with waiting in long lines, you'll get the best seats. If you can cope with the stress, you will be excellent at defusing bombs. From the Old French couper, cope means “come to blows with." Coping can imply struggle, but it’s usually met with success or at the very least, not failure. Another word to describe the balancing act of a mother who takes care of three children while also working part-time and pursuing a graduate degree is coping. “Understanding does not cure evil, but it is a definite help, inasmuch as one can cope with a comprehensible darkness,” warns Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.
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The results point to one major difference: species whose metabolisms were less able to cope with warmer, oxygen poor water suffered the highest extinction rates.
From Science Daily • Jul. 12, 2026
That should help England cope with the heat.
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2026
Plus: How India’s workers cope with 116-degree heat, and why most of data centers’ water consumption happens far away from data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
Burgess said Europe needs adaptation plans to cope with climate change.
From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026
But I don’t think my mom and I have figured out how to cope together.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
