tamer; tamest
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
tamely
adverb
tameness
noun
tamed; taming
1
a
: to reduce from a wild to a domestic state
b
: to subject to cultivation
c
: to bring under control : harness
2
3
: to tone down : soften
tamed the language in the play
: to become tame
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
Julia Harte, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
Tamari sauce is like soy sauce’s gluten-free, tamer, and less salty cousin.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025
Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
The oval brush is best for loose, smooth waves and taming frizz, while the paddle brush has a mixture of both nylon and boar bristles to dry and straighten your hair at the same time for a soft, sleek finish.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tame
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
After campaigning last year on promises to tame inflation, Trump has in recent weeks alternated between dismissing affordability problems as a hoax, blaming President Joe Biden for them, and promising his economic policies will benefit Americans next year.
—Julia Harte, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
Tamari sauce is like soy sauce’s gluten-free, tamer, and less salty cousin.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
Several Fed officials seem to agree that the economy doesn’t need significant rate cuts next year and that doing so would threaten to undo progress in taming inflation from its 40-year highs in 2022.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
The oval brush is best for loose, smooth waves and taming frizz, while the paddle brush has a mixture of both nylon and boar bristles to dry and straighten your hair at the same time for a soft, sleek finish.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tame
Cite this Entry
“Tame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tame. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tame
1 of 2 adjective
tamer; tamest
1
: changed from the wild state so as to become useful and obedient to human beings : domesticated
a tame elephant
2
: made gentle and obedient
3
: lacking spirit or interest : dull
tamely
adverb
tameness
noun
tame
2 of 2 verb
tamed; taming
1
a
: to make or become tame
tame a lion
b
: to subject to cultivation
wilderness tamed by farmers
2
: to bring under control : subdue
tame your temper
tamer
noun
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