the ropes
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The New York Knicks were on the ropes Friday night in a pivotal Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
After Rozicki stumbled back to the corner, his team threw in the towel and Billam-Smith climbed on the ropes to celebrate.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Let's be honest, the multiple scandals about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have really put the royals on the ropes.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
“We got them on the ropes and then it’s our job to try to finish.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
To give the cradle a little bit of bounce, he tied the ropes to two cultivator springs and hung the whole contraption to the bows inside the covered wagon.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
