tether

[teth-er]

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.

tether

/ 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

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• untethering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tether¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tether¹

C14: from Old Norse tjothr; related to Middle Dutch tūder tether, Old High German zeotar pole of a wagon

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

see end of one's rope (tether).

Example Sentences

“Masquerade” is more firmly tethered to the source material than “Sleep No More” was to Shakespeare’s play.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For all the talk of a bubble forming in AI investments, investors can’t afford not to remain tethered to the market’s most-powerful force.

Read more on Barron's

She tells him on her deathbed that she’s able to see spirits “still tethered to the living world.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Fans assumed that The Fate of Ophelia would tether Swift Shakespeare's story of a noblewoman who drowns in a fit of mania after being driven mad by grief.

Read more on BBC

I am absolutely convinced that we need to tether paid family leave and child care together tightly.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cord 
• harness 
• leash 
• rope 
• shackle