the ropes

plural noun

: the special way things are done at a particular place or in a particular activity

The veteran cop showed the rookie the ropes.

It will take a few weeks for new employees to learn the ropes.

someone who knows the ropes

: a fence made of rope that encloses a boxing or wrestling ring

The boxer was pushed back against the ropes.

Examples of the ropes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Videos shared on social media by bystanders and skiers stuck inside the cabins show the lift at a standstill as the local ski patrol entered each cabin and used the ropes to lower passengers dozens of feet to the ground. —

Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024 Resort staff then climbed up lift towers and shimmied along the ropes to reach each gondola car, KUSA reported. —

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 23 Dec. 2024 Thankfully, his three-month-old puppy sibling stepped in and showed him the ropes. —

Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024 Together these apprentices will have to learn the ropes while trying to untangle the inn’s secrets. —

Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for the ropes