tauten

American  

[tawt-n] / ˈtɔt n /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become taut.

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tauten British  

/ ˈtɔːtən /

verb

1. to make or become taut or tense

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Etymology

Origin of tauten

First recorded in 1805–15; taut + -en ¹

Example Sentences

But as the summer wears on and the management begins withholding pay, the structure tightens, the conflicts tauten and Ms. Irwin’s larger concerns come into sharper focus.

From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2014

The lips, extravagantly full, can pout or preen or tauten resolutely or open in an elfin smile.

From Time Magazine Archive

The silence seemed to tauten and strain as Dumbledore spoke.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

I used to curl up my tongue in front of the mirror and tauten my frenum into a white line, itself as thin as a razor blade.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

Every nerve in his body seemed to tauten: He pulled out his wand, moved into the shadows beside the decapitated elf heads, and waited.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling