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
Competing against Gobert and Minnesota will be another test for Green and his ability to toe the tightrope of playing with emotion and letting his emotions overcome him.
—
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2024
The Lakers are walking a tightrope where one errant smack upon their lanky superstar can send the entire franchise tumbling.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024
Powell walks that same tightrope with current Clippers stars.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Russia’s liberals, however, are walking a tightrope.
—Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
By Lauren Fox | CNN Speaker Mike Johnson is finding himself once again walking a tightrope between political reality and what can satisfy his right flank, as conservative hardliners staged a rebellion on the House floor Wednesday afternoon.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2024
But there was also distinct sense of nominees gingerly crossing a tightrope, trying not to say or do anything that could lose them all that carefully honed goodwill.
—Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024
There’s no denying that navigating the corporate world as a black woman can feel like walking on a tightrope.
—Adunola Adeshola, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
School budgeting is a complex juggling act that often leaves superintendents walking a tightrope between financial constraints and public demands.
—Frank Ricci, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2024
The Lakers are walking a tightrope where one errant smack upon their lanky superstar can send the entire franchise tumbling.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024
Powell walks that same tightrope with current Clippers stars.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Russia’s liberals, however, are walking a tightrope.
—Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
By Lauren Fox | CNN Speaker Mike Johnson is finding himself once again walking a tightrope between political reality and what can satisfy his right flank, as conservative hardliners staged a rebellion on the House floor Wednesday afternoon.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2024
But there was also distinct sense of nominees gingerly crossing a tightrope, trying not to say or do anything that could lose them all that carefully honed goodwill.
—Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024
There’s no denying that navigating the corporate world as a black woman can feel like walking on a tightrope.
—Adunola Adeshola, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
School budgeting is a complex juggling act that often leaves superintendents walking a tightrope between financial constraints and public demands.
—Frank Ricci, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tightrope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near tightrope
Cite this Entry
“Tightrope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tightrope. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
tightrope
noun
tight·rope
-ˌrōp 
: a rope or wire stretched tight for acrobats to perform on
More from Merriam-Webster on tightrope
Nglish: Translation of tightrope for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tightrope
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