Word.ws English Dictionary

giving one enough rope

giving one enough rope is the present participle and gerund of give someone enough rope.

Meaning of give someone enough rope

Verb

give someone enough rope (third-person singular simple present gives someone enough rope, present participle giving someone enough rope, simple past gave someone enough rope, past participle given someone enough rope)

  1. (idiomatic) To allow one to function unhindered, or without further overbearing oversight.
    • Near-synonym: cut someone some slack
  2. (idiomatic) To allow an enemy to function unhindered in the belief that they will end up harming or discrediting themself.

Questions about giving one enough rope

What is giving one enough rope the present participle and gerund of?
Giving one enough rope is the present participle and gerund of give someone enough rope.

Words near giving one enough rope in the dictionary

  1. giving neck
  2. giving notice
  3. giving of oneself
  4. giving off
  5. giving one a yell
  6. giving one enough rope
  7. giving one the lie in one's throat
  8. giving one the mitten
  9. giving one's all
  10. giving one's best
  11. giving one's head a shake

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: giving one enough rope (page history and authors); give someone enough rope (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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