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

These days, with trails and open space ideal for activities such as hiking, cross-country skiing and birding, the park is a much tamer place. —Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026

These examples are among the more tame messages — many are laced with profanity and references to violence. —Maven Navarro june 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2026

Verb

Still, futures market traders are currently projecting that the central bank will have to hike rates in order to tame inflation by December, with a 60% chance that a hike could happen as soon as October. —Steve Kopack, NBC news, 11 June 2026

Trump officials have stated that more doctors would tame health care costs and improve health outcomes for Americans. —Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 11 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