[go: up one dir, main page]

tightened 1 of 2

Definition of tightenednext

tightened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tighten
as in tensed
to draw tight tighten the straps on the backpack so that the load doesn't shift while hiking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tightened
Verb
Look at China’s neighborhood in Asia, where Japan, India, Australia, Vietnam and others have steadily tightened their security ties with the United States and each other in response to Beijing’s rise. Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026 Georgia cut the lead to 59-52 on a 3-pointer by Kanon Catchings, but the Bulldogs missed their next seven of eight shots as Florida’s defense tightened its grip. Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026 When Penn first appeared alongside Chávez in Caracas in the late 2000s, Venezuela was still riding high on oil revenue, even as the government tightened control over state institutions and the national oil company. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026 Crescent Real Estate tightened its grip on the Uptown submarket this year. Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026 When conditions tightened, many had to restructure. Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026 However, the situation shifted in mid-2024 when Washington tightened trade sanctions on Caracas, with the exception of some oil licenses. Germán Padinger, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025 The Department of Health and Human Services has frozen childcare payments to Minnesota in the wake of what the agency says is fraud at daycares in the state, and has tightened restrictions for other payments across the country. James Powel, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025 But stray balls soon clashed with sunbathers, and officials tightened rules. Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 28 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tightened
Adjective
  • Amorim’s critics viewed him as inflexible, though his tactics were successful elsewhere.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Kids get sick; day cares open and close; jobs are inflexible.
    Lauren Hilgers, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Studios in collaboration with Banijay’s DLO Producciones, tracks the rise of the founding leader of Los Miami, a gang which controlled Madrid’s insatiable ‘90s drug business, tensed by sudden explosive violence, and the drug-lord’s multiple near-death experiences.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
  • The officer took her to the ground and then tried cuffing Tejeras, who tensed up so much, the officer’s body camera was knocked to the ground, according to the report.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The cease-and-desist letter, provided to the Tribune by Nicholson’s campaign, was written by a lawyer from the firm Ford & Britton, where Cook County Board Commissioner Scott Britton is a partner.
    A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Keep in mind that firm menstrual cups are more likely to open properly after being inserted.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The law requires presidents to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces and to end military action within 60 to 90 days absent authorization — limits that presidents of both parties have routinely stretched.
    Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
  • State officials say the program is a way to reduce costs, prevent medication lapses, and ease the burden on doctors, particularly in rural areas where clinicians are already stretched thin.
    Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • From his beginnings in small-town Wyoming to his years at the heart of two Bush administrations, his life traced a path through half a century of American government—marked by strategic mastery, fierce controversy, and an unyielding belief in the exercise of authority.
    Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
  • His tone was, as usual, unyielding and certain.
    Susan Page, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Pinto got the extension, but was left off the Olympic roster amidst stiff competition for centre roles.
    Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • The president’s bows were aloof and stiff.
    Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • What ensues is a brilliantly taut ensemble piece.
    Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
  • The taut scenes provide the actors with a playing field to shine individually in heated arguments, sobering moments of empathy and painfully honest talks about what comes after a life-altering event.
    Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • No one is being ordered to give up bread, meat or the occasional indulgence, just as no one should treat a diagram as a rigid prescription.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Their analyses relied on rigid formulas that ignore the dynamics of companies driven by invention, rapid scaling, and exponential growth.
    Shane Goodwin, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tightened. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on tightened

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!