tighten
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
-
to make or become tight or tighter
-
to economize
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tighten
Explanation
To tighten something is to draw it snug or squeeze it. Your cousin's crazy driving may cause you to tighten your seatbelt and close your eyes. You can tighten things literally, the way you tighten the lid of a jar or tighten your hold on your best friend's hand as you enter a haunted house together. There's also a figurative way to tighten, like when a library tightens its rules about talking or a restrictive government tightens control over what newspapers are allowed to print. Before tighten appeared in the 18th century, the verb was tight.
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 is among the hundreds of Bangladeshis who have gathered over two days at Hakimpur in India's West Bengal state, police said, hoping to cross back as authorities tighten enforcement under a new state government.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Davies agreed the onus should be on social media platforms to tighten up safety measures and added adults were also guilty of misusing social media.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
For supporters, the effort represents a long-promised attempt to tighten immigration controls and redefine American citizenship more narrowly.
From Salon • May 24, 2026
Right now, the market appears “comfortable watching balances tighten gradually without aggressively repricing crude higher, because there remains a broad belief that the strait will reopen before true tank bottoms become visible,” Babin said.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
She reached up to tighten her jade headband.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
