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

But the wind was uncommonly tame, the main reason 31 players finished below par. — Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, "Pebble Beach more than holds its own in latest spin as U.S. Open host," 17 June 2019 But visitors to this scrubby, uninhabited islet six miles south of Mallorca weren’t always so tame: Previous denizens have included Berber pirates, French prisoners of war, Spanish soldiers, and misbehaving monks. — Benjamin Kemper, Condé Nast Traveler, "Spain’s Secret Islands," 14 Feb. 2018 Hollywood Westerns built from the assumption that the savagery of the frontier ramped up dramatic possibilities, but The Wild Bunch implicitly castigated all previous Westerns as far too tame. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "The Wild Bunch and American Disillusionment," 20 June 2019 Centrists don’t just need to build a traditional party infrastructure, with MPs, local offices and dutiful but tame members. — The Economist, "The centre cannot hold - the failure of Change UK and the atrophying of political thought," 19 June 2019 Not this time, with unexpectedly soft greens and generous hole locations (plus tame wind) giving the field a chance to post low scores. — Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, "Tiger Woods grinds his way around Pebble Beach, shoots 70 in U.S. Open," 13 June 2019 Valerie Gauvin had a tame effort collected by Ingrid Hjelmseth after an inch-perfect cross from Diani; while moments later Eugenie Le Sommer nearly got her head on a right wing delivery as France dominated. — SI.com, "Women's World Cup Recap: France Grab the Headlines With Win Over Norway & Germany Beat Spain," 12 June 2019 The commander had a surprisingly tame request: Resume your jobs immediately. — Rukmini Callimachi, BostonGlobe.com, "How the Islamic State managed to govern," 5 Apr. 2018 Jason Garrett is known for his robotic and bland answers during news conferences and his usually tame demeanor on the sidelines. — Drew Davison, star-telegram, "New documentary shows profane side of Cowboys coach Jason Garrett | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 18 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

With inflation finally tamed, gold’s moment was over. — Gwynn Guilford, Quartz, "The quiet campaign to reinstate the gold standard is getting louder," 3 July 2019 Only Carmel was able to tame Sandy Pines, shooting a 291. — Mike Hutton, chicagotribune.com, "Mike Hutton's five takeaways from the 2019 boys golf season after this week's state meet," 13 June 2019 But even someone as gifted as Gaines can't tame the mightiest beast of all: a wiggly baby. — Sandra Gonzalez, CNN, "Joanna Gaines shows you how easy it is to get a baby to pose for a photo. Spoiler: It's not.," 11 June 2019 From the yuan and bitcoin to banking and housing, taming potential threats is the new priority. — Bloomberg.com, "Xi Jinping’s Debt Clampdown Has Left a Trail of Dead Projects," 15 Jan. 2018 Political support for taming deficits has melted away, with Republicans accepting bigger deficits in exchange for tax cuts and Democrats making big spending promises around 2020 election campaigns. — Jon Hilsenrath, WSJ, "How Washington Learned to Love Debt and Deficits," 13 June 2019 Paul Volcker is known for taming high inflation in the 1980s. — Jim Puzzanghera, latimes.com, "Yellen's legacy as Fed chief: Full employment but unfinished business," 25 Jan. 2018 So if break-ups belong to the past, how can society tame Big Tech? — The Economist, "Regulating Big Tech makes them stronger, so they need competition instead," 6 June 2019 The Best Kombucha Brands Kombucha’s sweet-tart taste can turn some people off — the fermentation gives it a slightly vinegary taste — but different flavors can tame the tang. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "The 4 Best Health Benefits of Kombucha, According to Registered Dietitians," 6 June 2019

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.