1
: a rope or wire stretched taut for acrobats to perform on
2
: a dangerously precarious situation
—usually used in the phrase walk a tightrope
Examples of tightrope in a Sentence
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Related Articles At least 78 Native American children died at Colorado boarding schools, new investigation finds
Gov. Jared Polis walks a tightrope in approaching Trump.
—
Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2025
Nosferatu will be walking a difficult tightrope at the box office.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
That means that the Smithsonian will always be walking a tightrope, but that’s OK, because our job is to educate, to challenge, to make a nation better.
—Kayla Randall, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025
Another consideration for the new American owner is walking the tightrope in the January transfer window to comply with the EFL’s financial fair play rules after the club suffered losses in the past two seasons.
—Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
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Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2025
Nosferatu will be walking a difficult tightrope at the box office.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
That means that the Smithsonian will always be walking a tightrope, but that’s OK, because our job is to educate, to challenge, to make a nation better.
—Kayla Randall, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025
Another consideration for the new American owner is walking the tightrope in the January transfer window to comply with the EFL’s financial fair play rules after the club suffered losses in the past two seasons.
—Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tightrope
Dictionary Entries Near tightrope
Cite this Entry
“Tightrope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tightrope. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tightrope
noun
tight·rope
-ˌrōp 
: a rope or wire stretched tight for acrobats to perform on
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