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

Software companies are walking a tightrope in 2026 amid fears that artificial-intelligence tools will disrupt their businesses.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

I love watching comedians navigate that impossible little tightrope between structure and chaos: character work, timing, escalation, commitment and, ideally, a killer ending.

From Salon • May 25, 2026

Even for “SNL” and for the last-sketch-of-the-night slot, it was a bold sketch for live TV and Damon and Sherman expertly walked the tightrope on this one.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026

The latest European noise pollution standards are another tightrope Ferrari must walk between giving clients what they want and what they can have.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

She knew that she was walking a tightrope, supporting a cause she believed in and a man she loved, all the while spying on the country she called home.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau