rope

[ rohp ]

/ roʊp /

See synonyms for: rope / roped / roping / roper 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.

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.

Question 1 of 13

How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?

gato/gata

cato/cata

gatto/gatta

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for rope

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

OTHER WORDS FROM rope

roper, nounropelike, adjectiveun·roped, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for rope

Traversal in “Syndicate” shines with the grapple-gun, a device that shoots rope out of your arm.
All the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ games, ranked|Elise Favis, Gene Park|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
The Hainan gibbons’ adoption of the bridge suggests that other primates may also use rope bridges in fragmented forests, says Susan Cheyne.
Analyze This: Ropes restore a gibbon highway through a rainforest|Carolyn Wilke|November 11, 2020|Science News For Students
The narrow rope fills cracks ¼ inch to ½ inch wide, and the wider rope fills cracks ½ inch to one inch wide.
Why is it so expensive to patch an asphalt driveway?|Jeanne Huber|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
She returned two weeks later, again with Honnold, but took a terrible fall on the first pitch, which ultimately sent her to the hospital with a severe rope burn across her neck.
Behind the Scenes of Emily Harrington's Historic Climb|Andrew Bisharat|November 6, 2020|Outside Online

This is the mussel’s attachment to the rocks or rope or whatever it was growing on.
Mussels are simple to prepare, and add tasty drama to the table|Martha Holmberg|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Run ahead and climb up on the fence, if you want to see them roping.
Jack, the Young Ranchman|George Bird Grinnell
Roping a live engine is by long odds worse than roping wild Buffalo on the plains or Uncle Sam's cannon at the forts.
The Life and Adventures of Nat Love|Nat Love
Is there any other State in this nation where the roping of sheep-herders and the wholesale butchery of sheep would be permitted?
Cavanagh: Forest Ranger|Hamlin Garland
If you want to use him, and if you can hold up to that little sample of roping yuh gave us, I'll pay yuh sixty a month.
Cow-Country|B. M. Bower
The snow lay deep on the Roseg, and roping was essential, though Pietro undertook to avoid any difficult crevasses.
The Silent Barrier|Louis Tracy

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

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

rope