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
Though Yoon eventually left the PPP voluntarily, Kim’s campaign has continued to walk a tightrope in distancing itself from the impeached former president without alienating Yoon’s supporters.
—
Jong Eun Lee, The Conversation, 29 May 2025
Olympic officials, however, might have to walk a diplomatic tightrope: in February, the Enhanced Games announced that 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, was leading a multimillion-dollar investment in the company.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 21 May 2025
Just about everyone at the Free Press knows there’s a fragile tightrope Elissa walks, one that could unravel at any moment.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
As sociologist Mark Caldwell writes in The Rise of the Gourmet Hamburger, published in Contexts, the hamburger has long walked a cultural tightrope—both a mass-market staple and a customizable canvas.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
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Jong Eun Lee, The Conversation, 29 May 2025
Olympic officials, however, might have to walk a diplomatic tightrope: in February, the Enhanced Games announced that 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, was leading a multimillion-dollar investment in the company.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 21 May 2025
Just about everyone at the Free Press knows there’s a fragile tightrope Elissa walks, one that could unravel at any moment.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
As sociologist Mark Caldwell writes in The Rise of the Gourmet Hamburger, published in Contexts, the hamburger has long walked a cultural tightrope—both a mass-market staple and a customizable canvas.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 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 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tightrope
noun
tight·rope
-ˌrōp 
: a rope or wire stretched tight for acrobats to perform on
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