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.
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.
Archaic. to come into contact; meet (usually followed bywith ).
British Informal. to cope with.
Obsolete. to come into contact with; encounter.
a long mantle, especially of silk, worn by ecclesiastics over the alb or surplice in processions and on other occasions.
any cloaklike or canopylike covering.
the sky.
a coping on a wall.
Metallurgy. the upper half of a flask.
Building Trades.
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 ).
to form (a joint between such members) in this way.
to undercut the end of (a molded wooden member) in order to form a coped joint.
to cut away (a flange of a metal member) so that it may be joined to another member at an angle.
Falconry. to clip or dull (the beak or talons of a hawk).
to contend (against)
(intr) to deal successfully with or handle a situation; manage
she coped well with the problem
archaic (tr)
to deal with
to meet in battle
a large ceremonial cloak worn at solemn liturgical functions by priests of certain Christian sects
any covering shaped like a cope
to provide (a wall) with a coping
to join (two moulded timber members)
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
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Medieval Latin cāpa, variant of cappa “hooded cloak”; see cap 1
First recorded in 1565–75; from French couper “to cut”; see cope 1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English copen, from Low German; compare Middle Dutch côpen “to buy”
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"In the surrounding chalk grassland, they can discover how plants and insects cope with extreme heat, and why shade, varied vegetation and connected habitats can provide vital refuges for wildlife."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In Astana, schools are overloaded, and heating and water supply systems are struggling to cope, he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Also, most healthcare operators can cope well with cost pressures by stocking up on medical supplies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The results point to one major difference: species whose metabolisms were less able to cope with warmer, oxygen poor water suffered the highest extinction rates.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
To cope, they took on an experienced radio and theatre actor, Paul Stewart, as an associate producer.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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
The 42-year-old says he copes with his trauma by sharing his story with other victims and the public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 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
This gives the heart a bigger job of pumping it around the body and it copes by dialling up the blood pressure - a bit like cranking the tap on a garden hose pipe.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
And even if they are technologically successful, they can only be successful financially if they suppress competition and the economy copes with macro disturbances well.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
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 Hopkins, J. Castell (John Castell)
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
Emma and Charles coped with Annie’s death the best they could—both together and separately.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
"The children are the most stressed. They think the fire is going to burn down the house, but we're coping," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
The ability to compartmentalize, a coping skill that is often learned young, can be beneficial.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Neuroscientist and autism expert Gina Rippon says an increase in late autism diagnoses around the start of this decade revealed the myriad of coping mechanisms women had been employing.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Camps are coping with higher expenses, like many businesses.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
He wondered why he wasn’t scared of her: why a dream of a museum could leave him terrified, while he seemed to be coping with a walking corpse without fear.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
