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tether

American  
[teth-er] / ˈtɛð ər /

noun

  1. a rope, chain, or the like, by which an animal is fastened to a fixed object so as to limit its range of movement.

  2. the utmost length to which one can go in action; the utmost extent or limit of ability or resources.

verb (used with object)

  1. to fasten or confine with or as if with a tether.

  2. Digital Technology. to use (an electronic device, usually a smartphone or tablet) to enable a wireless internet connection on another nearby device, often a laptop.

    There's no Wi-Fi, so I'll have to tether my phone to my laptop.

verb (used without object)

  1. Digital Technology. to use an electronic device to enable a wireless internet connection on another device.

idioms

  1. at the end of one's tether, at the end of one's resources, patience, or strength.

tether British  
/ ˈtɛðə /

noun

  1. a restricting rope, chain, etc, by which an animal is tied to a particular spot

  2. the range of one's endurance, etc

  3. distressed or exasperated to the limit of one's endurance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to tie or limit with or as if with a tether

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tether More Idioms  

  1. see end of one's rope (tether).

Other Word Forms

  • untethering adjective

Etymology

Origin of tether

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (noun); compare Old Norse tjōthr, Dutch tuier

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He thought it was completely rational to tether me to some man before my wicked acts came to light.

From Literature

Hailing from a different strain of the Shia faith, the Houthis are less ideologically tethered to Iran and have long enjoyed more independence from Tehran than other proxies in the Middle East.

From Barron's

It’s tethered to ChatGPT creator OpenAI, it’s spending billions on data centers it hopes to develop its cloud infrastructure business, and it’s getting hammered in the market by concerns over its debt, growth, and strategy.

From Barron's

We hurried home to see a brown horse tethered at the end of our path, and our door half open.

From Literature

The only difference was that I was going to be doing all of this tethered to Regan.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.