tighten

[tahyt-n]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become tight or tighter.

   Synonyms: fasten, anchor, secure

tighten

/ ˈtaɪtən /

verb

1. to make or become tight or tighter

2. to economize

Other Word Forms

• tightener noun
• overtighten verb
• retighten verb
• self-tightening adjective
• untighten verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tighten¹

First recorded in 1720–30; tight + -en ¹

Example Sentences

In early 2025, Britain's General Pharmaceutical Council tightened restrictions on how online pharmacies can sell and prescribe the jabs in response to growing concerns about misuse, safety and supply shortages.

Read more on BBC

“That is a concern for consumers across the board, and is one of the reasons they’re tightening their wallets a little bit.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A look at the landscape for your job search: The jobs market is tightening, as companies pull back on hiring in the face of an uncertain economic outlook.

Read more on MarketWatch

However, they think that the regulator’s preemptive tightening of rules reduces risk of more significant restrictions later on, and still see housing credit growth accelerating to 8% on-year by the middle of 2026.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Resilient factory activity and consumption despite headwinds from tariffs and inflation suggest that conditions for the Bank of Japan to resume monetary tightening are being met.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• narrow 
• stiffen 
• toughen