tighten the screws
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Now we get a couple of days to kind of regroup and tighten the screws up and go back into an environment we just ended in and try to get our first win.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023
All banks are contending with much higher interest rates, which have flown higher over the past year to tighten the screws on the economy and financial markets.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 27, 2023
The streaming giant has recently indicated it will tighten the screws on customers who share passwords and login info as it seeks to maximize revenue from the users it already has.
From The Verge • Apr. 19, 2022
“It can’t last long, really. This is like the last breaths before death, because you can’t tighten the screws endlessly.”
From New York Times • Jul. 22, 2021
“I think old Haskers is commencing to tighten the screws again,” said Buster.
From Dave Porter and the Runaways Last Days at Oak Hall by Boehm, H. Richard
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.
