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
Unlike Tina Turner’s enthralling, apex music biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993), watching Michael is like witnessing a daredevil walk a tightrope while wearing a harness over a mammoth, inflatable bounce house.
—
Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 24 Apr. 2026
What kind of business tightrope are media companies walking in 2026?
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Cassidy has long advocated for vaccines Cassidy has spent years walking a political tightrope.
—Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
These incidents demonstrate the tightrope diplomats have to walk amid the threat that the war could restart.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tightrope
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.
Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 24 Apr. 2026
What kind of business tightrope are media companies walking in 2026?
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Cassidy has long advocated for vaccines Cassidy has spent years walking a political tightrope.
—Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
These incidents demonstrate the tightrope diplomats have to walk amid the threat that the war could restart.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tightrope
Cite this Entry
“Tightrope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tightrope. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tightrope
noun
tight·rope
-ˌrōp 
: a rope or wire stretched tight for acrobats to perform on
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
