cope

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To deal successfully with something difficult.

   It was hard to cope with so much work and so little sleep.

2. 2
   noun

   A way of comforting yourself or a self-deception used to get through a hard situation.

   He told himself it didn't matter, but everyone knew it was just a cope.

Etymology tree Old French couperder. English cope From Middle English coupen, from Old French coper, couper (“to strike, to cut”). The noun use went mainstream around 2020.

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