Rope-a-dope

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A technique in which the boxer assumes a defensive stance against the ropes and absorbs an opponent's blows, hoping to exploit eventual tiredness or a mistake.

    "He sounded like a retired boxer who'd specialized in the rope-a-dope."

  2. 2
    a boxing tactic: pretending to be trapped against the ropes while your opponent wears themself out throwing punches wordnet
  3. 3
    Any strategy where an apparently losing position is assumed in the hope of eventual victory. figuratively

    "[…] process that in recent years has degenerated, sadly, into one long scorched-earth campaign filled with partisan rancor and legislative rope-a-dope."

Verb
  1. 1
    To exhaust someone by stringing them along. figuratively

    "Willis rope-a-doped us all night."

Example

More examples

"He sounded like a retired boxer who'd specialized in the rope-a-dope."

Etymology

See Rope-a-dope.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.