tether
Americannoun
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a rope, chain, or the like, by which an animal is fastened to a fixed object so as to limit its range of movement.
-
the utmost length to which one can go in action; the utmost extent or limit of ability or resources.
verb (used with object)
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to fasten or confine with or as if with a tether.
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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)
idioms
noun
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a restricting rope, chain, etc, by which an animal is tied to a particular spot
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the range of one's endurance, etc
-
distressed or exasperated to the limit of one's endurance
verb
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.
She said she had been at the end of her tether, feeling dizzy and her headlight had gone out.
From BBC
Today, Aerobavovna is supplying tethered balloons to the Ukrainian military, which uses them near the front lines to relay radio signals and detect enemy signals.
My wife and I were in Paris during the tragedy and a decade later, the emotional tether I feel to the city remains taut.
The U.S. market is also tethered to global bond yields, including Japanese debt.
From Barron's
But the way it tethers its bruised healers to the human condition’s laws of gravity is potent medicine for coping.
From Salon
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.
