1 C1 neutral
To lower someone or something down from a height using a rope.
"The rescue team roped out the injured climber from the rock face."
separable
rope out
C1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To descend or extract someone/something using a rope; or (in climbing) to lower oneself or something down by rope.
In plain English
To use a rope to lower something or someone down, or to get out of somewhere by rope.
What does "rope out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 neutral
To escape from or exit a location by means of a rope.
"The prisoner managed to rope out of the window during the night."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To extend a rope outward or downward for the purpose of lowering or extracting — mostly transparent.
Actually means
To use a rope to lower something or someone down, or to get out of somewhere by rope.
Usage tip
Quite rare and specialised — found mainly in climbing, rescue, and outdoor pursuits contexts. Less standard than 'abseil', 'rappel', or 'lower'. May also appear in ranch/cowboy contexts for roping livestock out of an enclosure. Not widely known by general English speakers.
Words that pair with "rope out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
climber casualty livestock equipment cliff window
How to conjugate "rope out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rope out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
ropes out
he/she/it
Past simple
roped out
yesterday
Past participle
roped out
have + pp
-ing form
roping out
continuous
Hear "rope out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rope out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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