on the ropes

phrase

: in a defensive and often helpless position

Examples of on the ropes in a Sentence

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The deal comes one year after the Ellison family bought Paramount, which had been on the ropes because of significant under-investment over the years. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026 There is of course no guarantee that any deal with the Taliban would have been possible had al-Qaeda been defeated and bin Laden captured in 2001, or when bin Laden was killed and the Taliban were on the ropes in 2011. — Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 Sarah Stier / Getty Images But in the fifth, with Makhachev seemingly on the ropes, the champion showed his heart. — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026 Infantino on the ropes The soccer body — which has a longstanding rivalry with FIFA over who gets to control soccer and its riches — also continued to call for Infantino's ouster. — Rafael Nam, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for on the ropes

Rhymes for on the ropes

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Browse Nearby Words

on the rocks
on the ropes
on the run
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Cite this Entry

“On the ropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20ropes. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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