tightrope
noun
tight·rope
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Definition of tightrope
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
Recent Examples on the Web
To do stand-up is kind of this high-wire tightrope act, right? — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, "Jacqueline Novak goes deep on getting down in her hit show Get On Your Knees," 29 Aug. 2019 Scaling that ethos requires a tightrope act: Create enough structure and continuity to stave off chaos, without destroying the brandâs animating spirit in the process. — Elizabeth G. Dunn, New York Times, "Momofukuâs Secret Sauce: A 30-Year-Old C.E.O.," 16 Aug. 2019 The tightrope act included three walks and a hit batter. — Los Angeles Times, "Hapless Marlins unload on Dodgersâ Walker Buehler and bullpen," 15 Aug. 2019 Or, in a very different sense, even a tightrope walker requires some type of courage. — Rob Csernyik, Quartz at Work, "Why is âcourageâ suddenly such a popular job requirement?," 20 Aug. 2019 Walking a trade tightrope So what could possibly go wrong with Mr. Trump's strategy? — Alain Sherter, CBS News, "Trump's new tariff takes aim at two foes: China and the Fed," 2 Aug. 2019 Relating to the other two named clubs in L'Equipe's report, Inter's main summer target seems to be Romelu Lukaku as Antonio Conte's new side look to walk the tightrope that is Financial Fair Play. — SI.com, "Nicolas Pepe: Lille Owner Talks Up Supposed Liverpool Interest as Arsenal & Inter Make 'Firm Bids'," 18 July 2019 Jeric will have to walk the political tightrope between the city, which owns the streetcar, Cincinnati Metro, which oversees it, Transdev, which runs it day-to-day, and CAF, which makes the vehicles. — Hannah Sparling, Cincinnati.com, "Heâs the Cincinnati Bell Connectorâs âone neck to choke.â But who is he? And how did he get the job?," 3 June 2019 Democrats running statewide, especially for federal office, have had to walk a tightrope as the national party is increasingly liberal when compared to the state party. — Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky makeover: Amy McGrath challenges Mitch McConnell as a pro-Trump Democrat," 9 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tightrope.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tightrope
tightrope
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tightrope
: a tightly stretched rope or wire high above the ground that a performer walks on, does tricks on, etc., especially in a circus
See the full definition for tightrope in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tightrope
noun
tight·rope
| \ ËtÄ«t-ËrĆp
\
\
Kids Definition of tightrope
: a rope or wire stretched tight on which an acrobat performs
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