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• cope
  cope

  verb (used without object)

  to struggle or deal, especially on fairly even terms or with some degree of success (usually followed bywith ).
• COPE
  COPE

  acronym

  Congress of the People: a political party founded in 2008 by dissident members of the ANC

cope

¹ American  

[kohp] / koʊp /

verb (used without object)

coped, coping

1. to struggle or deal, especially on fairly even terms or with some degree of success (usually followed bywith ).

   The new heating and cooling system can cope with extremes of temperature much better than the old one.

   Synonyms:

   persevere, strive, wrestle

2. to face and deal with responsibilities, problems, or difficulties, especially successfully or in a calm or adequate manner.

   After his breakdown he couldn't cope any longer.

3. Archaic. to come into contact; meet (usually followed bywith ).

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verb (used with object)

coped, coping

1. British Informal. to cope with.

2. Obsolete. to come into contact with; encounter.

cope ² American  

[kohp] / koʊp /

noun

• copes
  plural

1. a long mantle, especially of silk, worn by ecclesiastics over the alb or surplice in processions and on other occasions.

2. any cloaklike or canopylike covering.

3. the sky.

4. a coping on a wall.

5. Metallurgy. the upper half of a flask.

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verb (used with object)

coped, coping

1. to furnish with or as if with a cope or coping.

cope ³ American  

[kohp] / koʊp /

verb (used with object)

coped, coping

1. Building Trades.

   1. to join (two molded wooden members) by undercutting the end of one of them to the profile of the other so that the joint produced resembles a miter joint (usually followed by in ortogether ).

   2. to form (a joint between such members) in this way.

   3. to undercut the end of (a molded wooden member) in order to form a coped joint.

   4. to cut away (a flange of a metal member) so that it may be joined to another member at an angle.

2. Falconry. to clip or dull (the beak or talons of a hawk).

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cope ⁴ American  

[kohp] / koʊp /

verb (used with object)

British.

coped, coping

1. to barter; trade; exchange.

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cope ¹ British  

/ kəʊp /

verb

1. to contend (against)

2. (intr) to deal successfully with or handle a situation; manage

   she coped well with the problem

3. archaic (tr)

   1. to deal with

   2. to meet in battle

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cope ² British  

/ kəʊp /

noun

1. a large ceremonial cloak worn at solemn liturgical functions by priests of certain Christian sects

2. any covering shaped like a cope

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verb

1. (tr) to dress (someone) in a cope

cope ³ British  

/ kəʊp /

verb

1. to provide (a wall) with a coping

2. to join (two moulded timber members)

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noun

1. another name for coping

COPE ⁴ British  

/ kəʊp /

acronym

1. Congress of the People: a political party founded in 2008 by dissident members of the ANC

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• copelessness
  noun
• copeless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• copes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cope¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English coupen, from Anglo-French, Old French couper “to strike,” derivative of coup “a blow”; see origin at coup ¹

Origin of cope²

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Medieval Latin cāpa, variant of cappa “hooded cloak”; see cap ¹

Origin of cope³

First recorded in 1565–75; from French couper “to cut”; see cope ¹

Origin of cope⁴

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English copen, from Low German; compare Middle Dutch côpen “to buy”

Explanation

If you are able to cope with something, you are able to deal with it. If you can cope with waiting in long lines, you'll get the best seats. If you can cope with the stress, you will be excellent at defusing bombs. From the Old French couper, cope means “come to blows with." Coping can imply struggle, but it’s usually met with success or at the very least, not failure. Another word to describe the balancing act of a mother who takes care of three children while also working part-time and pursuing a graduate degree is coping. “Understanding does not cure evil, but it is a definite help, inasmuch as one can cope with a comprehensible darkness,” warns Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cope COPE copes coped coping

The result is that customs officers across Iran’s land borders are struggling to cope, Ehsan Malekzadeh, chairman of the Iranian International Transport Companies Association, told the Mehr News Agency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

On the first real look at how Iraola's style will cope with two games a week, this was certainly not what the Liverpool head coach, nor the Anfield crowd, would have wanted to see.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Much of the build-up this week has centred on how Benn would cope with returning to the 10st 7lb welterweight limit for the first time in more than four years.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Believable people with reasonable reactions forced to cope with seemingly unbelievable and unreasonable situations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

"How was I to know that last night wasn't exactly the eventuality I was here to cope with? I lay low and told a noncommittal story."

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

In an interview with Spanish radio station COPE, Capdevila said he believes he was denied entry to the United States because of a match he played in Iran in 2016.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

“He was a collaborator of mine and helped me a lot,” Francis told COPE.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2021

The interview was with the Spanish radio network COPE, and was recorded last week at the pope’s residence in Vatican City.

From New York Times ● Sep. 1, 2021

"Whenever a pope is ill there is always a breeze or a hurricane about a conclave," he told COPE.

From Reuters ● Sep. 1, 2021

COPE, E. D. A critical review of the characters and variations of the snakes of N. America.

From United States Government Publications, v. 8 Jan-Jun 1892 A Monthly Catalog by Compiled

He too copes with blackouts, water shortages, a lack of farming supplies and ever-rising prices.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Since his mom was diagnosed with cancer at 83, Regis has pivoted to acting as what he calls a “capital C caregiver,” as she copes with treatment.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

He said he wanted to expand the Doctor Who universe by removing the Doctor to explore how humanity copes, resulting in a "properly entertaining thriller" of monsters, romance, chases and gunfights.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

Authorities caught “some agents hired by Russia to monitor the railway lines,” and the city copes with cyber attacks on a regular basis, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

First came the Clergy of the Abbey in copes of brown shot with gold, the Archbishops in purple velvet and gold, the gorgeously-clad officers of the Orders of Knighthood, and the Heralds.

From The Life of King Edward VII with a sketch of the career of King George V by J. Castell (John Castell) Hopkins

U.S. airlines and their global peers coped by tweaking capacity, generally cutting down on less popular and profitable flights, and charging more for checked bags and other fees.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

"I didn't grow up with AC," said the Frenchman from the Mediterranean city of Nice, who said his family coped using fans.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Chapman told Dr. Oz that he’d coped with the news by acknowledging it was “a scary situation” but deciding to “face it one way or another.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

Hearts coped with them easily for the longest time.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

In the early years of my boyhood, my parents coped very well in America.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Read more about how young adults are coping with today’s economy in MarketWatch’s coverage of the New American Playbook.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

It is also a way of coping with an unpleasant reality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Nepal appealed Friday for international financial assistance, but said it was coping without foreign rescue teams.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Girls’ coping strategies often work until early adolescence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

As we faced days of grueling punishment, I was also coping with the fact that despite the newspaper article, we had heard no word from the North Little Rock school administrators about Mama’s job.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Related Words

• confront
• endure
• get by
• grapple
• handle
• suffer
• survive
• wrestle