tighten up

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

The nonconference slate is no gauntlet, but things really tighten up around mid-October. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Despite his efficient pitch count, Webb started to tighten up and manager Tony Vitello ended his day a little early. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026

Borrowers seem to be tightening up their habits, but that discipline hasn’t brought costs down. — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

The rest of the way, the Dodgers tightened up their defense, and their bullpen shut down the Diamondbacks (63-56). — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for tighten up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup