tighten up
phrasal verb
tightened up; tightening up; tightens up
: to become more strict or effective or to make (something) more strict or effective
Security around the building has tightened up recently.
They tightened up security around the building.
Examples of tighten up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Either Sean Payton's offense tightens up, or the defense might have to win a ballgame by themselves.
—
Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
DraftKings has tightened up its pricing.
—Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Private credit lenders and other alternative investment funds have stepped in to plug the funding gap left by traditional investment banks, whose lending standards were tightened up in the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
The Chargers tightened up and limited Dart to 10 rushing yards in the second half.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tighten up
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Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
DraftKings has tightened up its pricing.
—Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Private credit lenders and other alternative investment funds have stepped in to plug the funding gap left by traditional investment banks, whose lending standards were tightened up in the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
The Chargers tightened up and limited Dart to 10 rushing yards in the second half.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tighten up
Cite this Entry
“Tighten up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tighten%20up. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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