as in to tighten
to draw tight he tautened the rope and then tied it off

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 tauten From that queasiness comes bristly tension, tautening and deepening what otherwise seems a low-key, low-stakes character study, and eventually a sweet, conciliatory sliver of hope too. Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 Feb. 2023 Pimples pop, pupils dilate, tendons tauten, and breathing gets so shallow that people fall into respiratory acidosis. John Pearley Huffman, Car and Driver, 20 Apr. 2022 Those systems use hydraulics or electromagnetic fluids to soften or tauten the ride. Jack Stewart, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2018 BMW’s adaptive dampers stifle road imperfections and tauten the 5 Series for hard cornering. Miles Branman, Orange County Register, 26 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tauten
Verb
  • Keep the handle away from your torso with slightly bent arms, and brace your core by gently tightening your abdominal muscles.
    Jakob Roze, Health, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Sixty-three percent (63%) of respondents say their financial situation has worsened over the past 12 months, and 65% report their grocery budgets have tightened.
    Darin Detwiler, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • My skin felt dirty, and my stomach tensed with fear.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Fanning’s tensed, squirrelly performance comes to life in these spots, with Polly’s waning trust and fear of betrayal cluing into a wounded self-loathing that becomes the film’s best lasting impression.
    J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tauten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tauten. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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!