tethered

American  

[teth-erd] / ˈtɛð ərd /

adjective

1. fastened or confined with or as if with a rope, chain, or the like to limit the range of movement.

   On this field trip, students will have the opportunity to take a ride in a tethered hot-air balloon.

   Too many lawmakers are partisan, inept, or too lightly tethered to reality.

2. Digital Technology. (of an electronic device) used to enable a wireless internet connection on another nearby device, often a laptop.

   You can browse the web more securely using a tethered phone, because your information is being sent directly through the phone rather than over a public wireless hotspot.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of tether.

Other Word Forms

• untethered
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tethered

tether ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Tethered describes something that's tied up, like a horse that's tethered to a fence or a dog that's tethered to the person who is walking it. Whenever you confine a person or an animal to keep them in one place, they're tethered. A bank robber might leave his hostages tethered together in the vault, and you might keep your fence-jumping dog tethered to the porch when she's out in your yard. The root word is the Old Norse tjoðr, tether, which was used only as a noun to describe the rope that ties animals until the late 15th century, when the verb form developed.

Example Sentences

Hezbollah’s use of fiber-optic tethered FPVs is particularly concerning as they are impervious to existing electronic countermeasures.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

I can still have my phone beside me for the useful things it provides—texting a friend, or checking the weather—but I’m no longer tethered to its addictive endless scroll.

From Slate • Apr. 26, 2026

Though the platforms will float, they still must be tethered to the seafloor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Standing beside a row of tethered punts on the River Stour, boatman James Matharu says while he has heard about other businesses getting cancellations, things are "still pretty busy here".

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

Taran saw Lluagor and Melynlas tethered among the steeds of the warriors; a little apart, Islimach pawed the ground nervously and pulled at her halter.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

• barred
• blocked
• closed
• confined
• controlled
• defined
• deprived
• prescribed
• reduced
• restrained
• secured
• shortened