1
a
: a line (as of rope or chain) by which an animal is fastened so as to restrict its range of movement
b
: a line to which someone or something is attached (as for security)
A crewman can clip the tether of his harness to the [safety line] and leave it clipped as he makes his way forward and aft.—
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith2
: the limit of one's strength or resources
I'm at the end of my tether.
tethered; tethering
ˈte-t͟h(ə-)riŋ 
: to fasten or restrain by or as if by a tether
felt tethered to her desk until the work was done
Examples of tether in a Sentence
Verb
They tethered the horses in the shade.
The dog was tethered to the fence.
Recent Examples on the Web
ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025
The tethers that anchor people to their president—and to the ground truths of their politics—fray just a bit more.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025
That means offshore wind farms in California will float on the water’s surface, tethered or moored by cables to the ocean floor.
—Rob Nikolewski, Mercury News, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tether
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Noun
That was too much to even start thinking about dropping the tether and using onboard power sources.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025
The tethers that anchor people to their president—and to the ground truths of their politics—fray just a bit more.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
The initial design that his team tested in their lab was tethered, and the air was pumped to the limbs through a thin hose.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025
That means offshore wind farms in California will float on the water’s surface, tethered or moored by cables to the ocean floor.
—Rob Nikolewski, Mercury News, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tether
Cite this Entry
“Tether.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tether. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tether
1 of 2 noun
teth·er
ˈtet͟h-ər
: a line by which something (as an animal or a balloon) is fastened so as to limit its range
tether
2 of 2 verb
tethered; tethering
ˈtet͟h-(ə-)riŋ
: to fasten or hold with or as if with a tether
felt tethered to my desk
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