lope
/ləʊp/ (bre, ipa) · /loʊp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlōp/ (ame, mw) · /ləʊp/ (ame, ipa)
lope — verb
- lopepresent simple I / you / we / they
- lopes3rd person singular
- loping-ing form
- lopedpast simple
1. to move forward in long, smooth, unhurried strides; usually said of a tall perso
to move forward in long, smooth, unhurried strides; usually said of a tall person or a long-legged animal covering ground without rushing.
Mizuki loped across the school yard to catch up with her friends.
lope + across [place]: typical directional adverbial pattern
A tall greyhound loped along the beach, ears flapping in the wind.
animal subject + along [place]: common collocation
Theo loped down the hallway in his pyjamas to answer the doorbell.
The wolf loped through the snow without seeming to tire.
Salma loped onto the stage and grabbed the microphone with a grin.
文法句型
lope + adverbial of direction
用法筆記
Subject is usually a tall person or a long-legged animal (wolf, horse, greyhound). Often paired with directional adverbials (across, along, down, through).
常見錯誤
lope — noun
1. a manner of moving on foot that uses long, loose, unhurried steps; smooth enough
a manner of moving on foot that uses long, loose, unhurried steps; smooth enough to sustain across many minutes without getting tired.
Imran crossed the playground with the easy lope of a basketball player.
with a + [adjective] + lope: describing manner of movement
Dewi set off at a steady lope and reached the village before sunset.
at a [adjective] lope: idiomatic prepositional pattern
The hiker kept up a relaxed lope along the forest trail for hours.
Élise broke into a lope as soon as the rain began to fall.
- shuffle
small, dragging steps; opposite of long, easy strides
文法句型
at a lope
with a lope
用法筆記
Often appears in the fixed phrases 'at a lope' and 'break into a lope'. Distinguish from sense 2 (the horse gait), which is specifically about horses.
常見錯誤
2. a horse's smooth three-beat gait, faster than a trot but slower than a full gall
a horse's smooth three-beat gait, faster than a trot but slower than a full gallop, gentle enough for a rider to relax in the saddle.
Rodrigo guided the mare into a gentle lope around the corral.
guide [horse] into a lope: typical equestrian command pattern
The chestnut stallion shifted from a trot into a lope on the cowboy's signal.
shift from [gait] into a lope: gait-transition collocation
Adisa rode at a comfortable lope across the open prairie all afternoon.
Western trainers often teach beginners the lope before the faster canter.
- trot
two-beat diagonal gait; bouncier and slower than a lope
文法句型
at a lope
用法筆記
Specifically American Western-style riding terminology — British / English-style riding calls a similar gait the 'canter'. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about people or animals on foot, not horses being ridden.