tether

1 of 2

noun

teth·​er ˈte-t͟hər 

1

a

: a line (as of rope or chain) by which an animal is fastened so as to restrict its range of movement

b

: a line to which someone or something is attached (as for security)

A crewman can clip the tether of his harness to the [safety line] and leave it clipped as he makes his way forward and aft.

—Michael A. Smith

2

: the limit of one's strength or resources

I'm at the end of my tether.

tether

2 of 2

verb

tethered; tethering ˈte-t͟h(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

: to fasten or restrain by or as if by a tether

felt tethered to her desk until the work was done

Examples of tether in a Sentence

Verb

They tethered the horses in the shade.

The dog was tethered to the fence.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The latest to emerge are fiber-optic cable drones, which are controlled via fiber-optic tethers rather than via radio transmission, rendering them immune to electronic warfare and jamming technologies. —Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2025

He was arraigned on May 2 and initially given a $75,000 bond with a GPS tether and house arrest. —Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 7 May 2025

Verb

Best of all, its cordless design gives you free rein to vacuum all over the house without being tethered to an outlet. —Clara McMahon, People.com, 29 June 2025

Emoji, as images, can never be tethered to one meaning. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tethir, teder, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse tjōthr tether; akin to Old High German zeotar pole of a wagon

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tether

• the end of one's tether

Rhymes for tether

• aether
• gether
• heather
• leather
• nether
• weather
• wether
• whether
• altogether
• together

Kids Definition

tether

1 of 2 noun

teth·​er ˈtet͟h-ər 

: a line by which something (as an animal or a balloon) is fastened so as to limit its range

tether

2 of 2 verb

tethered; tethering ˈtet͟h-(ə-)riŋ 

: to fasten or hold with or as if with a tether

felt tethered to my desk