Tighten has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
Verb
Verb
1
make tight or tighter
"Tighten the wire"
2
become tight or tighter
"The rope tightened"
3
severely restrict in scope or extent
"tighten the rules"
"stiffen the regulations"
4
narrow or limit
"reduce the influx of foreigners"
5
To make tighter.
"She tightened her shoelaces before running up the hill to ensure they wouldn't come undone."
Example Sentences
"Tighten the wire"
verb
"The rope tightened"
verb
"tighten the rules"
verb
"stiffen the regulations"
verb
"reduce the influx of foreigners"
verb
Related Terms
Show all 44 terms ↓
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
Origin
The word tighten comes from the Old English verb tyhtan. Although it looks like a combination of "tight" and "-en," its origin is actually unrelated to the adjective tight.