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 Narasimhan spent a few months learning the ropes from Schultz before taking the baton. —

Paulina Likos, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2024 Wade Barrett pointed out how The Bloodline was allowing Jey to stand on the ropes and yeet with no consequence. —

Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 Lafitte isn’t crossing off large retailers in the future, but the aim is to take it one step at a time and learn the ropes about how to be the brand of choice in specialty retail. —

Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024 In 2022, England cleared the ropes 89 times, a record for any Test team in a calendar year. —

Tim Ellis, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for the ropes

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the ropes.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.