# cope

Pronunciation: say "KOHP" US /ˈkoʊp/, UK /ˈkəʊp/

## Verb

1. To deal effectively with a problem or hardship, managing it well enough to carry on, especially when it is difficult.
   - Simple: To manage a hard situation well enough to keep going.
   - _Many families struggle to cope when a parent falls seriously ill._
   - _After the flood, residents coped as best they could with limited supplies._
6. To cover a wall, joint, or structure with a protective capping that sheds water away from the surface below.
   - Simple: To put a protective top layer on a wall or other structure.
   - _The contractor coped the boundary wall with precast slabs._
   - _They cope the new walls as soon as the mortar sets._
7. To shape the end of a molding or other piece to match the profile of the piece it meets, giving a tight joint, usually at an inside corner in place of a miter.
   - Simple: To cut the end of a piece of wood so it fits tightly against the shape of another piece.
   - _Skilled finishers cope the joint so the two pieces meet without a visible gap._
   - _The carpenter coped the baseboard so it fit tightly in the inside corner._

## Noun

2. A self-deluding belief or coping mechanism that someone holds onto in order to endure a situation with no real hope. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A comforting story someone tells themselves to get through a hopeless situation.
   - _Insisting the exam was unfair after failing it is classic cope._
   - _Fans dismissed the optimistic forecast as cope from a sinking team._
4. A covering piece set on top of a weather-exposed wall, usually of metal, masonry, or stone, and sloped to carry off water.
   - Simple: A protective top layer on a wall, often stone or metal, sloped so rain runs off.
   - _A metal cope protected the parapet from years of driving rain._
   - _Masons replaced the cracked copes that had let water seep into the wall._
5. A full-length, loosely fitting cloak that a priest, deacon, or bishop wears to preside at services other than the Mass.
   - Simple: A long, loose cloak that a priest or bishop wears at special church ceremonies.
   - _The priest fastened his cope before leading the evening service._
   - _Two deacons in matching copes flanked the altar during Vespers._

## Interjection

3. Slang: a dismissive or mocking exclamation telling someone to deal with their problem or loss themselves. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Slang: said to mock someone who is upset about a loss or problem, meaning 'deal with it'.
   - _He complained about the cold office again, and she said, "Cope," without looking up._
   - _You don't like the new policy? Cope._

## Verb

8. To curve or bend into an arch; to bow. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To bend or curve into an arched shape.
9. To meet, encounter, or have dealings with someone, especially as an opponent in a contest. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To meet or deal with someone, especially an opponent.
10. To silence someone, or prevent them from speaking out. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To stop someone from speaking and keep them quiet.
11. To bargain for something; to buy it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To buy something, or to bargain for it.
12. To exchange or barter one thing for another. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To trade one thing for another.
13. To make return for something; to requite or repay it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To pay someone back, or to return a favor.
14. To sew or tie shut the mouth of a ferret used to hunt rabbits. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To close a hunting ferret's mouth with thread or string so it cannot bite the rabbits.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A covering spread over something, such as a canopy, mantle, or, in literary use, the vault of the sky.
- (noun) The top half of a two-part sand casting mold, lying above the parting line.
- (verb) To clip or trim the beak or talons of a bird, especially a bird of prey.
- (noun) A payment formerly owed to the local landowner from the lead produced by mines in Derbyshire, England.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 7** — Old French coper or couper ("to strike, to cut") became Middle English coupen, which gives the modern word.
**Meanings 4–6, 8** — Medieval Latin cāpa ("cape") gave Middle English cope. Cap, cape, and chape are doublets of it.
**Meanings 9, 11–13** — Middle Dutch copen was borrowed into Middle English as copen. Dutch kopen and German kaufen are cognates.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cope (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).