coping mechanism
Americannoun
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coping mechanisms
plural
Usage
What are coping mechanisms? A coping mechanism is a psychological strategy or adaptation that a person relies on to manage stress. Sometimes, coping mechanisms are intentional choices, while other times a person may be unaware that they’re using them. In this context, mechanism refers to a method or process, and coping means “dealing with problems or difficulties.” So a coping mechanism is a way to deal with the stress caused by life. The term coping mechanism is used in psychology. but it’s more than just a technical term used by psychologists and therapists. It has entered the popular vocabulary to the point that you may hear it in everyday life, such as in self-help books or from people on social media discussing their mental health.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As a coping mechanism later on, her daughter, now 10 years old, would ask the teacher for permission to take bathroom breaks, time she would then use to take a walk through the hallways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Death imagery as a bulwark against fear of death is so well known that it is covered under the psychological umbrella of Terror Management Theory as a coping mechanism.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
The strikes mean Russia has been forced to shorten convoys on supply routes as a "quick coping mechanism to reduce potential damage", Cristian Vlas at conflict monitoring group Acled told BBC Verify.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Analysts also caution that the trend may prove cyclical—an emotional coping mechanism tied to the current downturn rather than a permanent shift in values.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2025
The school counselor had called it a "coping mechanism," my way of dealing with the tragedy.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
