tightrope

noun

tight·​rope ˈtīt-ˌrōp 

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

The choice of chartreuse — a borderline putrid shade of it, no less — walked an appropriate tightrope between glamorous and grotesque. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Posting on social media for a big corporation is a tightrope act these days. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Covering Climate Now's project straddles a tightrope between advocacy and journalism, which experts say has pros and cons. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

The problem with this is that midlife women are already operating on a hormonal and emotional tightrope. — Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tightrope

• downslope
• elope
• hillslope
• upslope
• antelope
• bronchoscope
• cantaloupe
• cystoscope
• endoscope
• envelope
• epitope
• gyroscope

Kids Definition

tightrope

noun

tight·​rope -ˌrōp 

: a rope or wire stretched tight for acrobats to perform on