cope
UK /ˈkəʊp/ · US /ˈkoʊp/ verb, noun, interjection, proper noun
Forms copes coping coped copest copedst copeth
- verb (intransitive) To deal effectively with something, especially if difficult.
- verb To cut and form a mitred joint in wood or metal.
- verb (falconry) To clip the beak or talons of a bird.
- noun (slang) A coping mechanism or self-delusion one clings to in order to endure a hopeless situation.
- interjection An expression of spite towards someone who suffered a setback. “"The other guy cheated, I had no chance!" "Cope."”
- interjection (Internet slang) A contemptuous dismissal, implying that someone should deal with some problem on their own and that the speaker will not engage any further.
- noun (liturgy) A long, loose cloak worn by a priest, deacon, or bishop when presiding over a ceremony other than the Mass.
- noun Any covering such as a canopy or a mantle.
- noun (literary) The vault or canopy of the skies, heavens etc.
- noun (construction) 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.
- noun (foundry) The top part of a sand casting mold.
- noun An ancient tribute due to the lord of the soil, out of the lead mines in Derbyshire, England.
- verb (transitive) To cover (a joint or structure) with coping.
- verb (intransitive) To form a cope or arch; to arch or bend; to bow.
- verb (obsolete) To bargain for; to buy.
- verb (obsolete) To exchange or barter.
- verb (obsolete) To make return for; to requite; to repay.
- verb (obsolete) To match oneself against; to meet; to encounter.
- verb (obsolete) To encounter; to meet; to have to do with.
- verb (obsolete, dialect) To tie or sew up the mouth of a ferret used for hunting rabbits.
Synonyms
contend hold it together hack contrive manage header coping get by make out make do grapple deal
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English coupen, from Old French coper, couper (“to strike, to cut”). The noun use went mainstream around 2020.
From Middle English cope, from Medieval Latin cāpa (“cape”) Doublet of cap, cape, and chape.
From Middle English copen, borrowed from Middle Dutch copen. Cognate with Dutch kopen, German kaufen.
Unknown
Webster’s 1913
- noun A covering for the head. [Obs.] Johnson.
- noun Anything regarded as extended over the head, as the arch or concave of the sky, the roof of a house, the arch over a door. "The starry cope of heaven." Milton.
- verb To form a cope or arch; to bend or arch; to bow. [Obs.]
- verb To pare the beak or talons of (a hawk). J. H. Walsh.
Etymology [A doublet of cape. See Cape, Cap.]
Etymology [OE. copen, coupen, to buy, bargain, prob. from D. koopen to buy, orig., to bargain. See Chear.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cope”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details