tame

1 of 2

adjective

ˈtām 

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

tame

2 of 2

verb

tamed; taming

transitive verb

1

a

: 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

tamable adjective

or tameable

ˈtā-mə-bəl 

tamer noun

Synonyms of tame

Adjective

• tamed
• domesticated
• domestic

Verb

• regulate
• contain
• control
• keep
• curb
• restrain
• suppress
• stifle

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

Finish with a hairspray to lock in the style and tame any flyaways. — Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 24 June 2026

The Brits were polite and mostly tame. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2026

Verb

Eaten right out of the bag, the vinegar hit in this extra-sour bread is overpowering, but the flavor is tamed when it’s toasted. — Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Felix Nmecha’s direct forward pass was a peach and Undav instinctively tamed it with his right and smacked it with his left. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English tam; akin to Old High German zam tame, Latin domare to tame, Greek damnanai

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for tame

• aim
• blame
• brame
• came
• claim
• dame
• fame
• flame
• frame
• game
• haim
• lame

Kids Definition

tame

1 of 2 adjective

ˈtām 

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