the ropes
plural noun
1
: the special way things are done at a particular place or in a particular activity
The veteran cop showed the rookie the ropes.
It will take a few weeks for new employees to learn the ropes.
someone who knows the ropes
2
: a fence made of rope that encloses a boxing or wrestling ring
The boxer was pushed back against the ropes.
Examples of the ropes in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her opponent was on the ropes and there for the taking but there is a tendency for the week-to-week consistency to go absent without leave on the biggest of stages.
—
Tim Ellis, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Four decades later, Iran, like its proxies, finds itself on the ropes.
—Doug Friednash, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
Civic groups claim authorities also removed the ropes and pulley systems that the miners used to enter and exit a shaft and send down supplies.
—Mogomotsi Magome and Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The 44-year-old former Fox News host appeared to be on the ropes in late November amid the mounting allegations, including a searing email from his own mother in 2018.
—Brad Dress, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025
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Tim Ellis, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Four decades later, Iran, like its proxies, finds itself on the ropes.
—Doug Friednash, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
Civic groups claim authorities also removed the ropes and pulley systems that the miners used to enter and exit a shaft and send down supplies.
—Mogomotsi Magome and Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The 44-year-old former Fox News host appeared to be on the ropes in late November amid the mounting allegations, including a searing email from his own mother in 2018.
—Brad Dress, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for the ropes
Dictionary Entries Near the ropes
Cite this Entry
“The ropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20ropes. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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