taut

1 of 3

adjective

ˈtȯt 

1

a

: having no give or slack : tightly drawn

a taut rope

b

: high-strung, tense

taut nerves

2

a

: kept in proper order or condition

a taut ship

b(1)

: not loose or flabby

taut skin

(2)

: marked by economy of structure and detail

a taut story

tautly adverb

tautness noun

taut

2 of 3

verb

tauted; tauting; tauts

transitive verb

Scotland

: mat, tangle

taut-

3 of 3

combining form

variants or tauto-

: same

tautomerism

tautonym

Synonyms

Adjective

• rigid
• tense
• tight

Examples of taut in a Sentence

Adjective

The rope was drawn taut.

The book is a taut thriller.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Almost 60 years later, with these two worlds living side by side, Creede is a taut microcosm of current national divisions. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 13 May 2025

Who would tap a director unproven on a feature level to direct a taut action thriller movie with a $150 million budget? —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 13 May 2025

Complex wine with beautifully taut tension, flavors of light red fruit, belle acidité and an enjoyable tangy snap on the finish. —Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

Bale’s Bateman has been held up as exemplary for his aesthetics — for that taut physique and that rigorous skin-care plan. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English tought, perhaps from tought, toughth fierce, tough, alteration of tough tough

Verb

origin unknown

Combining form

Late Latin, from Greek, from tauto the same, contraction of to auto

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a(1)

Verb

1721, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for taut

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• dot
• fought

Kids Definition

taut

adjective

ˈtȯt

1

a

: drawn to the limit : not slack

taut rope

b

: high-strung, tense

taut nerves

2

: kept in proper order or condition

a taut ship

tautly adverb

tautness noun