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
Uncertainty over a key element of the $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement that is reshaping college sports has placed recruiters on a tightrope.
—
Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
Europe and Canada walk a tightrope between wanting to keep the U.S. engaged in the continent's security and weaning NATO's non-U.S. members off a dependence on the country's equipment.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
The first film’s tonal tightrope only worked because Williams in particular walked it so well, with her dry delivery perfectly capturing the obliviousness of Gemma’s disastrous attempts to hack her own life.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025
He will also be forced to walk a tightrope on Medicaid in order to keep his conference lined up behind the bill.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tightrope
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Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
Europe and Canada walk a tightrope between wanting to keep the U.S. engaged in the continent's security and weaning NATO's non-U.S. members off a dependence on the country's equipment.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
The first film’s tonal tightrope only worked because Williams in particular walked it so well, with her dry delivery perfectly capturing the obliviousness of Gemma’s disastrous attempts to hack her own life.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025
He will also be forced to walk a tightrope on Medicaid in order to keep his conference lined up behind the bill.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tightrope
Cite this Entry
“Tightrope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tightrope. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tightrope
noun
tight·rope
-ˌrōp 
: a rope or wire stretched tight for acrobats to perform on
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