rope

[ rohp ]

/ roʊp /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rope ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a strong, thick line or cord, commonly one composed of twisted or braided strands of hemp, flax, or the like, or of wire or other material.

a lasso.

ropes,

the cords used to enclose a prize ring or other space.
Informal. the operations of a business or the details of any undertaking: The new employee didn't take long to learn the ropes.

a hangman's noose, halter, or cord.

the sentence or punishment of death by hanging.

a quantity of material or a number of things twisted or strung together in the form of a cord: a rope of tobacco.

a stringy, viscid, or glutinous formation in a liquid: ropes of slime.

verb (used with object), roped, rop·ing.

to tie, bind, or fasten with a rope.

to enclose, partition, or mark off with a rope or ropes (often followed by off).

to catch with a lasso; lasso.

Nautical. to reinforce (a sail or awning) with a boltrope.

verb (used without object), roped, rop·ing.

to be drawn out into a filament of thread; become ropy.

Verb Phrases

rope in, Informal. to lure or entice, especially by employing deception: The swindler had roped in a number of gullible persons.

Nearby words

rootstalk, rootstock, rootworm, rooty, ropable, rope, rope dancer, rope in, rope socket, rope stitch, rope tow

Idioms

at the end of one's rope, at the end of one's endurance or means; at the limit: With all her savings gone and bills piling up, she was at the end of her rope.

give someone enough rope, to allow a person complete freedom to continue his or her misdeeds in hope that retribution will follow.

on the ropes,

Boxing. in a defenseless position, as leaning against the ropes to keep from falling.
Informal. in a desperate or hopeless position; close to defeat or failure: By repeatedly undercutting his prices, his competitors soon had him on the ropes.

Origin of rope

before 900; (noun) Middle English rop(e), rap(e), Old English rāp; cognate with Dutch reep, German Reif; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun

Related formsrop·er, nounrope·like, adjectiveun·roped, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for rope

“I like decorating my slaves,” she said, referencing the rope, her thin, crimson-coated lips peeling off her front teeth.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From the roof of the barn is a long loop of rope, through this the turkey is suspended by its legs.
Confessions of a Turkey Killer|Tom Sykes|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Clinton, meanwhile, spent several minutes greeting audience members along the rope line and posing for cellphone selfies.
Hillary Clinton Basks in Labor’s Love: ‘This Is Like a Homecoming!’|David Freedlander|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After all, what politician blurts out a major life decision while working a rope line?
Bill Clinton's McConnell Attack May Be What We'll Remember From the Steak Fry|Ben Jacobs|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Pictures showed Lee being hoisted off the ship on a rope, aided by other crew members, well before the ship sank completely.
South Korea’s Ferry Disaster Gives Us a New Cowardly Captain to Hate|Barbie Latza Nadeau|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They then both set to work trying to discover some way of fastening it by which it would not slip down the rope.
Saint George for England|G. A. Henty
He likewise sailed in a costly ship; its anchor was inlaid with pure gold, and every rope was of twisted silk.
The Sand-Hills of Jutland|Hans Christian Andersen
The rope, which is guided upon sheaves between the rails, is taken twice round the head pulley.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5|Various
Macavoy, stripped to the waist, and carrying only a hatchet and a coil of rope tied round him, started away alone up the river.
Romany of the Snows|Gilbert Parker
A bundle of straw, tied with a rope, is brought into the courtyard and left to stand there near the Yule logs.
Balder The Beautiful, Vol. I.|Sir James George Frazer

British Dictionary definitions for rope

rope

/ (rəʊp) /

noun

a fairly thick cord made of twisted and intertwined hemp or other fibres or of wire or other strong material
(as modifier)a rope bridge; a rope ladder

a row of objects fastened or united to form a linea rope of pearls; a rope of onions

a quantity of material twisted or wound in the form of a cord

anything in the form of a filament or strand, esp something viscous or glutinousa rope of slime

the rope

a rope, noose, or halter used for hanging
death by hanging, strangling, etc

give someone enough rope to hang himself to allow someone to accomplish his own downfall by his own foolish acts

know the ropes

to have a thorough understanding of a particular sphere of activity
to be experienced in the ways of the world

on the ropes

boxing driven against the ropes enclosing the ring by an opponent's attack
in a defenceless or hopeless position

verb

(tr) to bind or fasten with or as if with a rope

(tr usually foll by off) to enclose or divide by means of a rope

(intr) to become extended in a long filament or thread

(when intr , foll by up) mountaineering to tie (climbers) together with a rope

Word Origin for rope

Old English rāp; related to Old Saxon rēp, Old High German reif

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 rope (1 of 2)

rope

Old English rap "rope, cord, cable," from Proto-Germanic *raipaz (cf. Old Norse reip, West Frisian reap, Middle Dutch, Dutch reep "rope," Old Frisian silrap "shoe-thong," Gothic skauda-raip "shoe-lace," Old High German, German reif "ring, hoop"). Technically, only cordage above one inch in circumference and below 10 (bigger-around than that is a cable). Nautical use varies. Finnish raippa "hoop, rope, twig" is a Germanic loan-word.

To know the ropes (1840, Dana) originally is a seaman's term. Phrase on the ropes "defeated" is attested from 1924, a figurative extension from the fight ring, where ropes figure from 1829. To be at the end of (one's) rope "out of resources and options" is first attested 1680s. Formerly also in many slang and extended uses related to punishment by hanging, e.g. John Roper's window "a noose," rope-ripe "deserving to be hanged," both 16c. To give someone (enough) rope (to hang himself) is from 1650s.

Word Origin and History for rope (1 of 2)

rope

c.1300, "bind with a rope," from rope (n.). Meaning "mark off with rope" is from 1738; to rope (someone or something) in is from 1848. Related: Roped; roping.

Idioms and Phrases with rope

rope

In addition to the idiom beginning with rope

rope in

also see:

end of one's rope
enough rope
(show someone) know the ropes
on the ropes

rope

noun

verb (used with object), roped, rop·ing.

verb (used without object), roped, rop·ing.

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of rope

Examples from the Web for rope

British Dictionary definitions for rope

rope

noun

verb

Word Origin for rope

Word Origin and History for rope (1 of 2)

rope

Word Origin and History for rope (1 of 2)

rope

Idioms and Phrases with rope

rope