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
Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
Assuming June delivers another tame inflation reading, then the attention of policymakers may be more focused on labor market risks.
—Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Nicola Wilson
june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
The Fed raises interest rates to tame inflation, and cuts them to support borrowing and economic growth.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tame
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
On a monthly basis, in fact, inflation was mostly tame.
—Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
Assuming June delivers another tame inflation reading, then the attention of policymakers may be more focused on labor market risks.
—Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
With Scottish writer George Blake’s novel, The Shipbuilders, language and dialect were tamed thanks to Sylvia’s views.
—Nicola Wilson
june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
The Fed raises interest rates to tame inflation, and cuts them to support borrowing and economic growth.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 23 June 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 4 Jul. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share