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rope in

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rope in somebody/something

also rope somebody/something in

to persuade a person or group to do something They're running ads that they hope will rope in the undecided voters. Once they're interested in the product, we try to rope them in and sell it to them.

Usage notes: also used in the form rope someone into doing something: He roped me into helping him clean up the yard.

See also: rope

rope in

Also, rope into. Lure or entice someone into doing something, as in We didn't want to spend the night there, but we got roped in by my lonely aunt, or The salesman tried to rope us into buying some worthless real estate. These expressions allude to catching an animal by throwing a rope around it. [Mid-1800s]

See also: rope

rope in

v.

1. To catch and draw something in with a rope or lasso: The cowboy roped in the stray calf. We set up a barrel and practiced roping it in with a lasso.

2. To recruit or enlist someone to participate: I roped in a few bystanders to help me fix the flat tire. She didn't want to go to the store with him, but he roped her in.

See also: rope