rappel

verb

rap·​pel rə-ˈpel 

ra-

rappelled also rappeled; rappelling also rappeling

intransitive verb

: to descend (as from a cliff) by sliding down a rope passed under one thigh, across the body, and over the opposite shoulder or through a special friction device

rappel noun

Examples of rappel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On the third day, the women began rappelling down the buttress. —Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024

The Top Gun: Maverick star helped celebrate the end of the 2024 Olympics on Sunday, and the countdown to the the '28 Games in Los Angeles by rappeling down the Stade de France, accompanied by H.E.R. on guitar. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 Aug. 2024

The third person, with the assistance of Zion's search-and-rescue team, rappelled down the canyon and reached the ground safely at around 2 p.m. Sunday, the NPS said. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 7 Oct. 2024

While rappelling down the buttress late on Saturday, Manners and Dvorak saw a four-person team of climbers on the glacier. —Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, recall, from Old French rapel, from rapeler to recall, from re- + apeler to appeal, call — more at appeal

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rappel

verb

rap·​pel rə-ˈpel 

ra-

rappelled also rappeled; rappelling also rappeling

: to descend (as from a cliff) by sliding down a rope