coped; coping
1
a
: to deal with and attempt to overcome problems and difficulties
—often used with with
learning to cope with the demands of her schedule
b
: to maintain a contest or combat usually on even terms or with success
—used with with
1
: a long enveloping ecclesiastical vestment
The priest wore a cope for the benediction.
2
a
: something resembling a cope (as by concealing or covering)
… the dark sky's starry cope …—
P. B. Shelley
P. B. Shelley
b
: coping
coped; coping
1
: to shape (a structural member) to fit a coping or conform to the shape of another member
2
: notch
Synonyms
Examples of cope in a Sentence
Verb (1)
a young man learning to cope on his own at college
Noun
committed their nefarious deeds under the dark cope of night
Recent Examples on the Web
Sydney Borchers, Fox News, 11 Nov. 2024
Volkswagen employees have long benefited from generous pay deals and cast-iron job security, while resisting all efforts by the management to rein in costs to cope with challenges such as soaring energy prices.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 10 Nov. 2024
Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Three years of preparatory work had set the stage for an extraordinary five-hour pageant, as 2,500 Catholic bishops, each vested in white cope and miter, processed into the Vatican basilica.
—George Weigel, WSJ, 13 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for cope 
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Verb
Pompeii Archaeological Park has set a new limit on visitors in an effort to cope with overtourism at the historic site.
—Sydney Borchers, Fox News, 11 Nov. 2024
Volkswagen employees have long benefited from generous pay deals and cast-iron job security, while resisting all efforts by the management to rein in costs to cope with challenges such as soaring energy prices.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 10 Nov. 2024
Noun
The set sold 43,000 copes in the U.S. in the week ending June 29, according to Luminate.
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Three years of preparatory work had set the stage for an extraordinary five-hour pageant, as 2,500 Catholic bishops, each vested in white cope and miter, processed into the Vatican basilica.
—George Weigel, WSJ, 13 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for cope
Dictionary Entries Near cope
Cite this Entry
“Cope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cope. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cope
1 of 2 noun
: a long vestment that is worn like a cape by a priest or bishop
cope
2 of 2 verb
coped; coping
: to struggle or try to manage especially with some success
cope with a situation
Etymology
Noun
Old English -cap "long vestment, cope," from Latin cappa "head covering" — related to cape entry 2
Verb
from earlier cope "to strike, fight, engage in a struggle," from Middle English copen "to strike, fight," from early French couper "to strike, cut," from earlier cop "a blow" — related to coup, coupon
Medical Definition
cope
1 of 2 intransitive verb
coped; coping
: to deal with and attempt to overcome problems and difficulties
—usually used with with
helping children cope with grief
COPE
2 of 2 abbreviation
chronic obstructive pulmonary emphysema
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