taut

1 of 3

adjective

1
a
: having no give or slack : tightly drawn
a taut rope
b
: high-strung, tense
taut nerves
2
a
: kept in proper order or condition
a taut ship
b(1)
: not loose or flabby
taut skin
(2)
: marked by economy of structure and detail
a taut story
tautly adverb
tautness noun

taut

2 of 3

verb

tauted; tauting; tauts

transitive verb

Scotland
: mat, tangle

taut-

3 of 3

combining form

variants or tauto-
: same
tautomerism
tautonym

Examples of taut in a Sentence

Adjective The rope was drawn taut. The book is a taut thriller.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The agents were yanking her out of the cell and away from her kids, but her eyes remained fixed on the taut, trembling fingers of her boys, who clutched her clothes until their grips broke. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2024 There was no counter for the onslaught Utah unleashed on the way to a 90-44 victory at the Huntsman Center after the Utes turned a relatively taut game into a runaway over the final 15 minutes. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024 Run is a taut thriller that feels like an elevated Lifetime movie in all the right ways. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 25 Nov. 2023 As for the eggplant, choose vegetables with shiny, taut skin and firm stems. Emily Horton, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 The latter, which shifted between taut, noir-ish cop funk and percussive turn-up anthems, remains a highlight of the rapper’s career. Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 His taut topical political thriller, produced by Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri for Known Associates Entertainment, will have its premiere on Feb. 28 at the Joburg Film Festival with a same-day release on Amazon’s Prime Video. Thinus Ferreira, Variety, 26 Feb. 2024 Wish’s taut writing makes the book a cut above the average who-done-it. Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2024 Police brutality, civic corruption, even sports: Del Olmo covered it all in a taut, thorough style. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English tought, perhaps from tought, toughth fierce, tough, alteration of tough tough

Verb

origin unknown

Combining form

Late Latin, from Greek, from tauto the same, contraction of to auto

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a(1)

Verb

1721, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taut was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near taut

Cite this Entry

“Taut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taut. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

taut

adjective
ˈtȯt
1
a
: drawn to the limit : not slack
taut rope
b
: high-strung, tense
taut nerves
2
: kept in proper order or condition
a taut ship
tautly adverb
tautness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on taut

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