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tighten
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tight·en

verb \ˈtī-tən\
tight·enedtight·en·ing \ˈtīt-niŋ, ˈtī-tən-iŋ\

Definition of TIGHTEN

transitive verb
: to make tight or tighter
intransitive verb
: to become tight or tighter
— tight·en·er \ˈtīt-nər, ˈtī-tən-ər\ noun
— tighten one's belt
: to practice strict economy
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Examples of TIGHTEN

  1. She tightened her hold on the handle.
  2. <tighten the straps on the backpack so that the load doesn't shift while hiking>

First Known Use of TIGHTEN

circa 1727

Related to TIGHTEN

Synonyms
strain, stretch, tauten, tense
Antonyms
loosen, slack, slacken

Rhymes with TIGHTEN

brighten, Brighton, chitin, chiton, frighten, heighten, lighten, titan, triton, whiten

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