adjective
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tightly stretched; tense
-
showing nervous strain; stressed
-
nautical in good order; neat
Other Word Forms
- tautly adverb
- tautness noun
- untaut adjective
- untautly adverb
- untautness noun
Etymology
Origin of taut
1275–1325; earlier taught, Middle English tought; akin to tow 1
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.
Trunk, branches, leaves and night sky form an intricate pattern, creating the taut balance between image and abstract form that O’Keeffe was achieving in many of her paintings of the 1920s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
A highlight of the fall theater season was Robert Icke’s gripping “Oedipus,” which reimagined Sophocles’ most famous tragedy as a taut drama about a contemporary political dynasty.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
As metaphors for the American dream go, Gabriel Tallent’s taut and engrossing second novel, “Crux,” is exceedingly direct: It’s literally a book about climbing.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026
Exploring these craggy psychological contours from the perspectives of the investigators, the accused’s shocked parents, and a psychologist tasked with evaluating the boy and his parents in four taut episodes is equally impressive.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2025
Moose ran forward until the leash was taut and then doubled back, as if urging them to hurry.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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.
