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

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 Thank you for having us ✨✨✨✨ The replies were surprisingly tame, considering how savage everyone was back in February when Khloé gave herself two extra thumbs in yet another Photoshop fail. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Khloé Kardashian Had a Major Photoshop Fail That Gave Her 14 Fingers," 9 Apr. 2019 Today, her artistic antics seem innocuous and relatively tame, but, the film implies, the projects were viewed as publicity stunts and turned the art world against her. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, "Kusama: Infinity Makes the Case for the Japanese Artist as a Feminist Force," 7 Sep. 2018 Compared to these concoctions a foundation made of lead, called ceruse, must have seemed downright tame. — Serah-marie Mcmahon, Teen Vogue, "This New Book Is All About the Dark (And Sometimes Bloody) History of Fashion," 12 Apr. 2019 Advertising Literary events tend to be cheery but tame, intimate affairs. — Tyrone Beason, The Seattle Times, "‘Who are you becoming?’ Why America needs Michelle Obama’s message now," 25 Mar. 2019 Supervised consumption sites take a tamer, but similar, harm-reduction approach. — German Lopez, Vox, "A big, new review of the evidence finds that prescription heroin works," 6 Dec. 2018 But Ronaldo missed it, with Iran goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand holding his nerve, biding his time, and ultimately guessing correctly, moving to his left to hold onto the Real Madrid star’s tame effort. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Cristiano Ronaldo's missed penalty costs Portugal – and could haunt it forever," 25 June 2018 The same fate awaited 2014’s Boyhood, an even tamer film dinged for a bit of sailor talk, some mild birds-and-bees conversations, and scattered underage drinking and cannabis-smoking. — Charles Bramesco, Vox, "Eighth Grade’s R rating deters actual 8th graders from seeing it. What a shame.," 18 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 But in recent years, Lady Gaga has tamed a bit, starting with her makeunder during the Joanne album phase. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Lady Gaga’s Private Fashion Archive is Going on Display in Las Vegas—Infamous Dried Meat Dress Included," 30 May 2019 This version will tame your cleavage, without adding an extra full layer of clothing. — Elizabeth Denton, Seventeen, "12 Curvy Girl Fashion Hacks to Get You Through Summer," 23 May 2019 Moving the legs can temporarily tame these odd feelings. — Kristin Auble, SELF, "9 Facts to Know About Restless Legs Syndrome," 16 Mar. 2019 Once the shelf cloud passed last night, conditions tamed, and the sky turned pink and orange. — Angela Fritz, Washington Post, "Menacing shelf clouds and beautiful post-storm glow from Monday night’s wild weather," 15 May 2018 Here are three observations from Tuesday's game: Rinne finally tames Wild Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne, who took Sunday off against Winnipeg, returned Tuesday to face an opponent he's struggled with this season. — Mike Organ, USA TODAY, "Nashville Predators snap losing streak; beat Minnesota Wild in shootout," 27 Mar. 2018 Established center-right parties, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, are looking to cooperate with some of their nativist challengers at EU level in the hope of taming them. — Marcus Walker, WSJ, "EU Countries Face a Menu of Challenges," 20 Jan. 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.