tether

1 of 2

noun

teth·​er ˈte-t͟hər 

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

2

: the limit of one's strength or resources

I'm at the end of my tether.

tether

2 of 2

verb

tethered; tethering ˈte-t͟h(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

: 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

Noun

People Share Life After Leaving US Putin Warned of Russian Demographic Crisis FDA Issues Risk Warning for Potato Chips Recall Israel Shifts Troops From Gaza to Syria as Another Front Intensifies Plunkett was at the end of her tether. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025

Vertebral body tethering has a bright future as innovations are made material properties of the tether. —Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Verb

And unlike Biden, Trump was more willing to tighten the screws on Zelensky, who often demanded terms—like Russia’s full withdrawal from Ukraine, including Crimea—that were not tethered to facts on the ground. —Daniel Depetris, Time, 7 Aug. 2025

The pack has a 90-minute battery life but is not tethered to an oxygen tank or vessel. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tethir, teder, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse tjōthr tether; akin to Old High German zeotar pole of a wagon

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tether

• the end of one's tether

Rhymes for tether

• aether
• gether
• heather
• leather
• nether
• weather
• wether
• whether
• altogether
• together

Kids 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