Trope originates from the Latin "tropus", which itself comes from the Greek "tropos", meaning "a turn" or "a change of direction.  Today, the word trope often signals a common or overused literary device.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the noun "trope" first appeared in English during the Old English periiod (pre-1150).  The verb "trope" (meaning to use a trope) is recorded in the OED as being first used in the late 1500s. The OED cites Robert Browne, a religious separatist, as the earliest source, in 1582. 

Some of the most common tropes in classic and contemporary fantasy literature are: 
1, Really crappy authority figures in general,  2. Found family,  3. First love.   4. First everything,  5. The celebrity romance,  6. Underdog or outsider protagonists,  7. Self-sacrifice,  8. The dark family secret.

Examples of the word "trope" used in a sentence: |
The "hero's journey" is a common trope in many narratives. 
"Human-like robots are a classic trope of science fiction." 
"The politician's speech was full of racist tropes."

OK @Bill W, I did not realise that the word trope had such a long history. It certainly gets a lot of use now, although not just in literature. I notice its use has spread to internet with reference to common themes and devices such as internet memes on social media such as TicTok and X.  

this is a trope 

still makes me larf tho 

Along with this @Zombie,