taut

1 of 3

adjective

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

Examples of taut in a Sentence

Adjective The rope was drawn taut. The book is a taut thriller.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
At a merch table, a stack of posters depicted Lake in a Rosie the Riveter pose, showing off her taut arms. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2024 Far more dynamic live than on the studio recordings, the taut rhythmic structures of the songs accentuated the struggles with faith, forgiveness and optimism the singer explored via bruised, bloodied narratives. Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2024 Soon, Elisabeth has a clone, Sue (Margaret Qualley), young and taut. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024 To use, just turn on and gently run the device over fabric using gentle, circular movements keeping the fabric flat and taut. Christina Pérez, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for taut 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of taut was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near taut

Cite this Entry

“Taut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taut. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on taut

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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