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definitions

guide rope

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noun

a rope fastened, usually at an angle, to a hoisting or towing line, to guide the object being moved.
Aeronautics. a long rope hung downward from a balloon and trailing along the ground, used to regulate the altitude of the balloon and to act as a brake.

Origin of guide rope

First recorded in 1815–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for guide rope

Historical Examples of guide rope

  • "I will guide-rope up the avenue of the Bois," I said to myself gleefully.

    My Airships

    Alberto Santos-Dumont

  • This cable is essentially the same as the guide-rope of the older aeronauts.

  • And at last his guide-rope was trailing again, and he found it possible to attempt a landing.

    The War in the Air

    Herbert George Wells

  • They were bright young fellows, and they grasped the idea and the guide-rope at the same lucky instant.

  • The place was very still as the man holding the guide-rope awaited the signal to let go.

British Dictionary definitions for guide rope

guide rope

noun

a stay or rope attached to another rope that is lifting a load, either to steady the load or guide the rope
another name for dragrope (def. 2)
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