tightrope

[ tahyt-rohp ]

noun

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

verb (used without object)

, tight·roped, tight·rop·ing.

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

   He tightroped through enemy territory.

verb (used with object)

, tight·roped, tight·rop·ing.

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

tightrope

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tightrope¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; tight + rope

Idioms and Phrases

see walk a tightrope .

Example Sentences

When you add to that that it’s someone of the stature of Rudy Giuliani that you have to get on his own, in the middle of a pandemic, and make sure he doesn’t suspect anything, it’s just an absolute tightrope.

From The Daily Beast

More recently, the companies have walked a tightrope, acknowledging that climate change is real while still insisting that they need to service a robust market for their products that will exist for decades.

From Time

With that in mind, check out these tightrope walkers high above the demonstrations in Medellin and Bogota’s Philharmonic Orchestra striking up Fanfare for the Common Man to appeal for calm.

From Time

Directing Bollywood drama The Last Color, now on Amazon Prime, Khanna delivers a story about the unique friendship between a 9-year-old tightrope walker and a widow, confronting taboos around caste, widowhood and gender roles.

From Ozy

It’s a tightrope of not feeling but staying busy but not being vulnerable, which complicates things with my partner because connecting with my partner requires vulnerability and emotion.

From Vox

The heir to a tightrope walking family has tried some crazy stunts in his day.

From The Daily Beast

The self-styled ‘Art Criminal’ dazzled onlookers and made history when he tightrope walked between the WTC towers 40 years ago.

From The Daily Beast

All weekend reporters in eastern Ukraine were walking a bizarre tightrope, of prurience, politesse, and ghoulishness.

From The Daily Beast

The clan had a tightrope act that went horribly wrong in 1962.

From The Daily Beast

To this day, the family still enthusiastically explores tightrope walking.

From The Daily Beast

There were washed out trails where the ride would be in the nature of tightrope walking.

From Project Gutenberg

One thing that we must suppose he particularly liked was a wonderful tightrope walker.

From Project Gutenberg

Douglas Fairbanks is doing a little tightrope walking on the telegraph wires.

From Project Gutenberg

The famous Blondin was going to perform on a tightrope in another part of the garden.

From Project Gutenberg

When a performer falls from the tightrope, who remembers all the times he has not failed?

From Project Gutenberg