cope
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cope¹
- /ˈkəʊp/ UK
- /ˈkoʊp/ US
Rhymes with -əʊp
Where it comes from
From Middle English coupen, from Old French coper, couper (“to strike, to cut”). The noun use went mainstream around 2020.
verb copes · coping · coped · cope
-
To deal effectively with something, especially if difficult.
Chelsea were coping comfortably as Liverpool left Luis Suarez too isolated. Steven Gerrard was also being forced to drop too deep to offer support to the beleaguered Jay Spearing and Jordan Henderson rather than add attacking potency alongside the Uruguayan.
Similar: contend, hold it together, hack, contrive, manage · Opposite: lose one's shit
- To cut and form a mitred joint in wood or metal.
- To clip the beak or talons of a bird. the beak and talons should be closely coped
noun copes
- A coping mechanism or self-delusion one clings to in order to endure a hopeless situation. There was some public grousing about the number of white supremacists attempting to recruit, however; some incels argued that white supremacy was just another "cope"–just another self-deluding attempt to cover over the grim truth of the blackpill.
interjection
- An expression of spite towards someone who suffered a setback. "The other guy cheated, I had no chance!" "Cope."
- A contemptuous dismissal, implying that someone should deal with some problem on their own and that the speaker will not engage any further.
cope²
- /ˈkəʊp/ UK
- /ˈkoʊp/ US
Rhymes with -əʊp
Where it comes from
From Middle English cope, from Medieval Latin cāpa (“cape”) Doublet of cap, cape, and chape.
noun copes
- A long, loose cloak worn by a priest, deacon, or bishop when presiding over a ceremony other than the Mass. […] there went firſt 160 Prieſts, all in their Copes, eight Biſhops next, […]
- Any covering such as a canopy or a mantle.
- The vault or canopy of the skies, heavens etc. the starry cope of heaven
- A covering piece on top of a wall exposed to the weather, usually made of metal, masonry, or stone, and sloped to carry off water.
- The top part of a sand casting mold.
- An ancient tribute due to the lord of the soil, out of the lead mines in Derbyshire, England.
verb copes · coping · coped
- To cover (a joint or structure) with coping.
- To form a cope or arch; to arch or bend; to bow. [W]e ſee that wreſtlers onely doe claſpe about, and imbrace one another with their armes; and the moſt part of their ſtriving one againſt another, whether it be performed by taking hold either directly or indirectly, by tripping, by coping and tugging, doe all bring them together, and enterlace them
cope³
- /ˈkəʊp/ UK
- /ˈkoʊp/ US
Rhymes with -əʊp
Where it comes from
From Middle English copen, borrowed from Middle Dutch copen. Cognate with Dutch kopen, German kaufen.
verb copes · coping · coped
- To bargain for; to buy.
- To exchange or barter. [The Patron] Will cope with thee in reasonable wise; That if the living yerely doo arise To fortie pound, that then his yongest sonne Shall twentie have, and twentie thou hast wonne.
- To make return for; to requite; to repay. Three thousand ducats due unto the Jew, / We freely cope your courteous pains withal.
- To match oneself against; to meet; to encounter. I love to cope him in these sullen fits.
- To encounter; to meet; to have to do with. Horatio, thou art e'en as just a man / As e'er my conversation coped withal.
cope⁴
- /ˈkəʊp/ UK
- /ˈkoʊp/ US
Rhymes with -əʊp
Where it comes from
Unknown
verb copes · coping · coped
- To tie or sew up the mouth of a ferret used for hunting rabbits. His nimble ferrets must now become pioners for their master who coupes them, lest they should grow too fat to endure labour.
- To silence or prevent from speaking. Well sir? how triflingly soeuer you trauers the matter, these my Philosophicall proceedings (for any thing hitherto heard) might fullie suffice to put your fantasticall fooleries to a perpetuall non-sute: were you not like to the rauenous Ferret, which rendeth in peeces whatsoeuer poore Rabbet doth
Cope⁵
proper noun
- A surname.
- A locality in the Mid-Western council area, eastern New South Wales, Australia.
- An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Washington County, Colorado, United States.
- An unincorporated community in Morgan County, Indiana, United States.
- A town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: make do, get by, manage, contend, deal, grapple, make out, header, accomplish, meet, survival, encounter, support, withstand, survive, overcome
Translations
Every language
verb to deal effectively with something
| Español | lidiar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 対処する taisho suru, 処理する shori suru |
| 中文 | 對付 /对付 duìfu, 應付 /应付 yìngfù, 處理 /处理 chǔlǐ, 應對 /应对 yìngduì |
| Português | aguentar, lidar |
| Français | se débrouiller, faire face (à) |
| Deutsch | schaffen, (mit etwas) zurechtkommen, klarkommen, bewältigen, (mit etwas) fertig werden |
| Italiano | affrontare, far fronte |
| Ελληνικά | αντεπεξέρχομαι antepexérchomai |
| Română | înfrunta, împăca, confrunta |
| Русский | справля́ться spravljátʹsja, спра́виться с správitʹsja s |
| Tiếng Việt | đương đầu, đối đầu |
| العربية | سَايَرَ sāyara, تَأَقْلَمَ taʔaqlama |
| עברית | התמודד hitmoded |
noun ceremonial cloak
| Español | capa pluvial |
|---|---|
| Português | pluvial |
| Français | chape, pluvial |
| Deutsch | Pluviale, Prozessionsmantel |
| Italiano | piviale |
noun any covering
| Français | chape |
|---|
noun top part of a sand casting mold
| Français | chape |
|---|
Talk about this word "cope." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cope. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cope. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cope "cope." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cope.Cite this
@misc{cope_2026,
title = {cope},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cope},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
