tame

adjective

\ ˈtām

tamer; tamest

Definition of tame

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : reduced from a state of native wildness especially so as to be tractable and useful to humans : domesticated tame animals

2 : made docile and submissive : subdued

3 : lacking spirit, zest, interest, or the capacity to excite : insipid a tame campaign

tame

verb

tamed; taming

Definition of tame (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to reduce from a wild to a domestic state

b : to subject to cultivation

c : to bring under control : harness

2 : to deprive of spirit : humble, subdue the once revolutionary … party, long since tamed —The Times Literary Supplement (London)

3 : to tone down : soften tamed the language in the play

intransitive verb

: to become tame

Other Words from tame Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tame

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Other words from tame

Adjective

tamely adverb

tameness noun

Verb

tamable or tameable \ˈtā-mə-bəl

\ adjective

tamer noun

Examples of tame in a Sentence

Adjective

The island's birds are quite tame. They ran a pretty tame campaign. Some people were shocked by the movie, but I found the story pretty tame. Members of the audience were too tame to interrupt the speaker.

Verb

It took a while to tame the horse. the people who tamed the Wild West He struggled to tame his temper. The government needs to do something to tame inflation.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Turning inside his defender the German had the entire goal to aim for, but tapped a tame effort right into the hands of Hyun-Woo Cho. — Nathan Hilditch, Pro Soccer USA, "South Korea 2-0 Germany: Champions curse strikes again as Germany exits World Cup," 27 June 2018 All other chicken wings instantly felt tame by comparison. — Nick Kindelsperger, chicagotribune.com, "Forget Buffalo wings — Korean fried chicken is better," 22 Mar. 2018 Yet the company’s total sales has increased by a fairly tame 18% in that time frame. — Charley Grant, WSJ, "What Is Ailing the Drug Industry?," 22 June 2018 However, the outlook of this year’s silly season appears to be tamer in terms of driver movement. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IndyCar midseason review, part III: What's still to come," 17 June 2018 Does Harden feel upstaged by the 6-foot-6 forward when Tucker shines in a magenta suit, outrunning Harden’s comparatively tame millennial pink sweater? — New York Times, "James Harden and P.J. Tucker: Name a More Iconic Fashion Playoff Duo," 22 May 2018 Although Scott's stock in trade is an overabundance of bright colors, tufts of fake fur and cartoonish graphics (none of which was lacking in his fall/winter 2018 offering), one of the collection's most memorable looks was comparatively tame. — Adam Tschorn, latimes.com, "Tom Ford, Jeremy Scott serve up a cacophony of color and a menagerie of prints at N.Y. Fashion Week," 10 Feb. 2018 Even in the high season, rates and crowds remain tame in Central Coast towns like Morro Bay, where fishing boats, seafood dives, and quaint inns reign. — Stephanie Granada, Sunset, "10 Great Deals on Labor Day Weekend Getaways," 22 Jan. 2018 SheaMoisture’s argan oil has also soothed my fried strands, and helps tame flyaways in the process. — Ella Cerón, Teen Vogue, "How to Fix Bad Box Hair Dye," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Since then Beijing’s efforts to tame the country’s burgeoning shadow banking industry have also taken a toll on property companies. — Manju Dalal, WSJ, "Fearing Yuan’s Slide, China Puts New Limits on Property Companies’ Bonds," 28 June 2018 South Koreans are broadly supportive of his efforts to tame conglomerates, root out corruption and create a more equitable society by improving health care, pensions and labour conditions. — The Economist, "South Korea’s ruling party wins a landslide victory in local elections," 14 June 2018 The site’s natural springs were first tamed by enterprising developers in 1901; the two 360-foot water slides came later. — Sunset, "Go on a Hot Springs Adventure in the Utah Desert," 22 Jan. 2018 Black barbers in his Milwaukee neighborhood had been expertly wielding clippers to shape his friends’ ’fros, but couldn’t seem to tame his mop. — Leilani Marie Labong, SFChronicle.com, "At the Culture of Hair salon, the mission is top of mind — and head," 5 July 2018 The death of Wang Jian, a former civil aviation official who became one of China’s richest men, comes as the company has been trying to tame its debt of more than $90 billion. — Alexandra Stevenson, New York Times, "Wang Jian, Co-Founder of Chinese Giant HNA, Dies in France," 4 July 2018 Slick Bobs An ultra-precise part and a bit of smoothing crème is all that’s required to tame this chin-grazing cut on long humid days. — Vogue, "Dior Just Served Up 5 Striking Hair Ideas for the July Fourth Weekend," 2 July 2018 There's a lot at stake: Her job is one of the few city posts with power to tame the city's scourge of violent crime. — Bloomberg.com, "Top Baltimore Prosecutor Mosby Wins Democratic Primary," 27 June 2018 New rules introduced late last year to tame growth in P2P lending seem to be hitting the auto sector now. — Jacky Wong, WSJ, "Chinese Auto Sales Run Into a Lending Roadblock," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tame.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.