What does "rope" mean?
Thick strings, yarn, monofilaments, metal wires, or strands of other cordage that are twisted together to form a stronger line.
Rope
/ɹoʊp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Thick strings, yarn, monofilaments, metal wires, or strands of other cordage that are twisted together to form a stronger line.
- Grammar: rope is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: allure, ample scope, anchor, anchor chain.
- Useful contrasts: detach, discourage, dissuade.
- Usage evidence: You must promise not to take the rope off.
How to use "rope"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rope" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rope" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rope" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rope" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rope" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allure" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rope", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Thick strings, yarn, monofilaments, metal wires, or strands of other cordage that are twisted together to form a stronger line. uncountable
"Nylon rope is usually stronger than similar rope made of plant fibers."
- 2 The small intestines. in-plural
"the ropes of birds"
- 3 street names for flunitrazepam wordnet
- 4 An individual length of such material. countable
"The swinging bridge is constructed of 40 logs and 30 ropes."
- 5 a strong line wordnet
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 A cohesive strand of something. countable, uncountable
"The duchess wore a rope of pearls to the soirée."
- 7 A continuous stream. countable, dated, uncountable
"The principle of any such device should be to pull on the vessel by a rope of water passing in at the bow and out at the stern."
- 8 A hard line drive. countable, uncountable
"He hit a rope past third and into the corner."
- 9 A long thin segment of soft clay, either extruded or formed by hand. countable, uncountable
- 10 A data structure resembling a string, using a concatenation tree in which each leaf represents a character. countable, uncountable
- 11 A kind of chaff (material dropped to interfere with radar) consisting of foil strips with paper chutes attached. uncountable
- 12 A unit of distance equivalent to the distance covered in six months by a god flying at ten million miles per second. Jainism, countable, uncountable
"The central strip of the loka, the Middle World, represents its smallest area, being only one rope wide and one hundred thousand leagues high, […]"
- 13 A necklace of at least one meter in length. countable, uncountable
- 14 Cordage of at least one inch in diameter, or a length of such cordage. countable, uncountable
- 15 A unit of length equal to twenty feet. archaic, countable, uncountable
- 16 Rohypnol. countable, slang, uncountable
- 17 Semen being ejaculated. countable, plural-normally, slang, uncountable
"shooting ropes"
- 18 Death by hanging. countable, uncountable, with-definite-article
"The murderer was sentenced to the rope."
- 19 An apparatus, currently with limited use by the senior contestants and not used in world-wide tournaments. countable
- 20 An apparatus, currently with limited use by the senior contestants and not used in world-wide tournaments.; An apparatus program with a rope. countable, metonymically, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To tie (something) with rope. transitive
"The robber roped the victims."
- 2 fasten with a rope wordnet
- 3 To throw a rope (or something similar, e.g. a lasso, cable, wire, etc.) around (something). transitive
"The cowboy roped the calf."
- 4 catch with a lasso wordnet
- 5 To climb by means of a rope or ropes. intransitive
"We roped down to the platform selected for the bivouac; set up our bags and brewed a reasonable meal."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To be formed into rope; to draw out or extend into a filament or thread. intransitive
"Let us not hang like roping icicles / Upon our houses' thatch."
- 7 To pull or restrain (the horse one is riding) to prevent it from winning a race. transitive
"Others, a shade more advanced, have been known to bribe a jockey to "hold," "rope" a horse, or a stableman to poison or stupefy him."
- 8 To commit suicide, particularly by hanging. Internet, intransitive
"My life is a mess; I might as well rope."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"You must promise not to take the rope off."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rope"?
Common synonyms include: allure, ample scope, anchor, anchor chain, anchor rode, attach.
How do you use "rope" in a sentence?
You must promise not to take the rope off.
How do you pronounce "rope"?
Pronounced /ɹoʊp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English rop, rope, from Old English rāp (“rope, cord, cable”), from Proto-West Germanic *raip, from Proto-Germanic *raipaz, *raipą (“rope, cord, band, ringlet”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁roypnós (“strap, band, rope”), from *h₁reyp- (“to peel off, tear; border, edge, strip”). Cognates Cognate with Scots rape, raip (“rope”), Saterland Frisian Roop (“rope”), West Frisian reap (“rope, cord”), Dutch roop, reep (“rope, cord, ring, strip, bar”), German Low German Reep (“rope”), Swedish rep (“rope”), Danish reb (“rope”), Icelandic reipi (“rope”), Albanian rrip (“belt, rope”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English ropen, rope (“to form ropes”), from rop (“rope”); see above.
Etymology 3
From Middle English rop (“gut, intestine”), from Old English rop, ropp; compare Middle Dutch rop, roppe (“fish guts”). The modern pronunciation results from phonological assimilation to Etymology 1.