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

Britton was arraigned Thursday morning in 36th District Court, where Magistrate William Burton Jr. gave him a $500,000 cash or surety bond with a GPS tether and house arrest. —Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Heavy-duty tethers attached to 4,000-pound concrete barriers kept her grounded. —Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2025

Verb

So to make the exception for CNBC but not MSNBC feels not tethered to a whole lot. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2025

For many, the empty nest phase is the first time in years people are not tethered to the day-to-day logistics of raising children, says Dr. Mary Barnes, a career strategist with over two decades of experience in organizational development and executive coaching. —Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 13 Aug. 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