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

Pakistan has so far walked the tightrope between Iran and the US, passing messages between the two sides, hosting foreign ministers from other concerned Muslim nations and hitting the diplomatic telephones.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 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

They say user pushback has increasingly focused on ads and monetization, but Grindr needs to prove it can walk this tightrope.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

“We fell in love doing arabesques on a tightrope thirty feet in the air.”

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio