1
a
: a word or expression used in a figurative sense : figure of speech
b
: a common or overused theme or device : cliché
the usual horror movie tropes
2
: a phrase or verse added as an embellishment or interpolation to the sung parts of the Mass in the Middle Ages
: body characterized by (such) a state
allotrope
Examples of trope in a Sentence
Noun
a screenplay that reads like a catalog of mystery-thriller tropes
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 28 Apr. 2025
The first half is telling the love story that on the surface it’s meant to be about, which draws people in — using all of the tropes of romantic stories at the pop culture level.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2025
Bark’s set-building wizardry puts him in conversation with artists such as Jeff Wall or Gregory Crewdson, whose early work shares certain tropes with Bark’s still lifes, among them dead or taxidermied animals.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
Birth rate declines have also been prominent tropes for white supremacist mass shooters, including the shooter who killed 51 Muslim people and wounded 40 others at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019.
—Lisa Hagen, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
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Noun
Escala Forma Miami’s tropical tropes are all used at once, and to great effect, within this living room by local studio Escala Forma.
—Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 28 Apr. 2025
The first half is telling the love story that on the surface it’s meant to be about, which draws people in — using all of the tropes of romantic stories at the pop culture level.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2025
Bark’s set-building wizardry puts him in conversation with artists such as Jeff Wall or Gregory Crewdson, whose early work shares certain tropes with Bark’s still lifes, among them dead or taxidermied animals.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
Birth rate declines have also been prominent tropes for white supremacist mass shooters, including the shooter who killed 51 Muslim people and wounded 40 others at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019.
—Lisa Hagen, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trope
Cite this Entry
“Trope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trope. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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