tightrope

American  

[tahyt-rohp] / ˈtaɪtˌroʊp /

noun

1. a rope or wire cable, stretched tight, on which acrobats perform feats of balancing.

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verb (used without object)

tightroped, tightroping

1. to walk, move, or proceed on or as on a tightrope.

   He tightroped through enemy territory.

verb (used with object)

tightroped, tightroping

1. to make (one's way, course, etc.) on or as on a tightrope.

tightrope British  

/ ˈtaɪtˌrəʊp /

noun

1. a rope or cable stretched taut above the ground on which acrobats walk or perform balancing feats

2. to be in a difficult situation that demands careful and considered behaviour

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tightrope Idioms  

1. see walk a tightrope.

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Etymology

Origin of tightrope

First recorded in 1795–1805; tight + rope

Explanation

A tightrope is a thin, tightly stretched wire or rope meant to be walked on. If you go to the circus, you may see acrobats doing tricks on tightropes high above the ground. Some tightrope walkers hold long sticks that help them balance, and others do somersaults, juggle, or dance, all while balancing on the tightrope. Another kind of acrobatics is slackrope walking, performed on loose or slack wires or ropes. The technical term for the art of walking on a tightrope or slackrope is funambulism — and a person who does it is a funambulist.

Example Sentences

So rather than making those taxes disappear, you will have to walk a tightrope to make sure you stay within your lower tax bracket.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

Ministers walk a tightrope of preparing for various scenarios, updating us on what they are doing or willing to do and hoping they don't induce any sense of panic or alarm.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

The Fed cut rates three times last year but held off on further reductions in January as policymakers walk a tightrope, balancing inflation risks alongside labor market worries.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

It’s a tightrope walk that no legislator has mastered.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

He had a tightrope walker’s feel for the land beneath him—its surface tension, the give and take of things.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien